


Whatever you wish for.

by AuthorInDistress



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Cinderella, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Loki is a liar, M/M, Pining Tony, Sorry I always seem to make Thor a dick D:, Tony-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-30
Updated: 2014-05-19
Packaged: 2017-12-30 19:00:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 33,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1022271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuthorInDistress/pseuds/AuthorInDistress
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With no memories of his parents after an accident, five year old Tony Stark is adopted by the rich owner of the Burison manor. Unfortunately, after only three years of living with him, Sir Bor Burison dies and the manor is taken over by his son Odin; who fills it with his own tastes and allows his own sons more room than the child already living there. </p><p>Tony is shoved out of the way and made to 'earn his keep' as servant to the family. But after ten years service he doesn't do it passively. One way or another, Tony is getting out of there, and his ticket out is University. MIT to be specific.</p><p>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [melonbutterfly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/melonbutterfly/gifts).



> This is for melonbutterfly who gave me such _wonderful_ useful words of advice when I was going through a bad time and was so kind in allowing me to vent and to cyber-cry on their shoulder. So, this is their Thank you! present. Because really, _thank you_! :DD
> 
> -
> 
> PS: The fic is basically written, with just editing to be done and the final chapter to be finished, but I'll post it bit by bit and hopefully won't make any of you wait too long :))

.

* * *

 

Tony had only just turned five when the car had turned a little too far down the road.

Howard had taken a hand off of the wheel for just a second; gesturing to his wife, Maria, that she explain to Tony why he wouldn't be having a birthday party this year. It'd been same reason as every other year really, but Tony hadn't complained this time and had only nodded his understanding, tugging at his seat-belt again and again instead — clipping and unclipping the buckles whilst his parents had argued. So, really, it had only been that one little moment, where Howard's hands and eyes hadn't been on the job, that had been just enough for the car's tyres to jar over the water from the rain and to turn them all off of the road and down the hill beside.

And vaguely, in nightmares mostly, Tony remembers screaming and falling. Remembers the rush of water and the crack of bone.

And to this year, he still doesn't know himself just how much luck had favored him that day. Unbuckling his seat-belt — just before the crash — had literally saved him from what had happened to his parents and it had been at around 2am in the morning when his unconscious body had finally been found, by the lonely resident of the nearby manor. The manor that Howard had been on the way to anyway, in fact, to discuss business with the elderly man.

Unable to save the parents by then and knowing that no one else in the town had really been aware of the family living here — with them having moved so recently from America — Tony's savior knew that the child had had nowhere else to go.

So by late morning, Tony had been settled in a bed, had been sipping soup and been calmly telling the only adult in the room his name, his age, his birthday and his —

Tony's memories stopped there and other than a vague recollection of his parents as figures in his life, Tony hadn't had any idea what they looked like, who they had been and where they had gone whilst he had stayed in the manor. And so, when the police had come to take him away, along with a few care-givers, social services had seen the child's distress and attachment to his savior and had taken action.

Meetings had been held, papers had been signed and Tony Stark had then officially become Tony Burison.

And it had just been a shame, really, that when Sir Bor Burison had died three years later, his son had then become eligible to take the estate and, with it, the adopted now-eight-year-old boy and the money and family business. Having already lived a lot of his life, Sir Odin Burison had had plenty to fill the empty rooms of the manor and Tony's hiding spaces and secret spots had then been filled with statues and trophies, his bedroom taken by Odin's eldest son, Thor, and the roof emptied of all memories and toys and photographs.

And by the end of it, Sir Bor's home had then become Odin's and his sons had explored whilst Tony had only hidden away and had tried to pretend that everything in his life had not been twisted around all over again, until nothing he recognized or knew had been left for him to cling to.

Odin, however, never did consider giving Tony back to care or even threatening to, but he _did_ hide away the adoption papers, along with the certificates and the official wills that named Tony owner of Stark industries after his eighteenth birthday.

Bor had never explained to Tony the circumstances of his parents' death, letting the child mourn and hoping that he would live long enough to tell him the truth but time had taken from him and the explanation had then fallen to Odin.

Odin, however — seeing opportunity and not really understanding why his father had adopted a child that, in his mind, should really have died in the crash as well — had told a lie despite knowing the truth and with his wife and children ignorant of it themselves, there had been no one to oppose him and Tony had believed.

And the lie sticks with him to this day.

 _Your parents abandoned you child. You are only here out of the goodwill of this family._ Are the words that Tony remembers. Followed by the statement that still rings like a law to him even now, reminding him always of his place here.

 

_And you must earn ... your keep._

* * *

 

**_Ten Years Later._ **

 

**~**

The pencil snaps after a particularly harsh full-stop and Tony curses, tossing it into the bin quickly and folding the sheet of paper in half so fast it almost tears; bundling it into his bag until it's a horrible, crumpled mess. The footsteps that he'd heard before, just outside of his room, pause at the sound and his heart literally hops up into his throat.

Rolling over, he burrows his head into the pillows and hurriedly switches the bedside lamp off, thanking whatever deity there is up there that Odin hadn't gotten it fixed yet; the light still being a little too dim than is healthy for the eye but right now he couldn't be happier with it being that way.

The floorboards creak closer now and Tony carefully looks through a hole in his blanket at the door, tensing when the handle turns, slowly, and shutting his eyes to fake his sleep before Odin can accuse him of staying up late. If he's ever caught after midnight, Odin tends to use it all as an excuse if-or-when Tony makes a mistake — claiming that he's obviously too tired to complete his work properly, and that he'll just have to have double the amount as punishment.

When the door opens — and it doesn't groan or click anymore; Tony's fixed that little problem already, when Thor had once decided that it would be hilarious to open and close Tony's door numerous times when he'd been trying to sleep — but whoever it is sneaking into his room stumbles anyway, which defeats the purpose of being quiet.

So. It's definitely not Odin then.

Sneaking a hand under his pillow, Tony curls his fingers around the can of hairspray that he had once found, and prepares to spray it in Thor's face in defense — before he delivers whatever crude prank he's probably trying to set up right now. He prays that Odin doesn't pile more onto his workload as well, if he's caught and blamed for the sting of redness that it'll cause the dumb, blond's eyes.

Sitting up in a rush, however, startles whoever it is in his room and when Tony squints and sees the thinner, just-as-tall figure of the younger brother, Loki, he sighs angrily and turns the lamp on immediately — all the better to show how unimpressed he is.

Loki blinks at him, shielding his face from the light as he squints back at him.

"What are you _doing_?" Tony hisses, glancing at the now open door and hoping that no one else walks past in the middle of the night, "Loki — It's _5 am_. Couldn't you have — "

"Oh spare me the complaints and just hand me over the work, will you." Loki interrupts him, not even bothering to lower his voice until he notices Tony cringing at it's volume, "I'm doing _you_ a favor here anyway, so you — "

"Me doing your homework is a favor to _me_?" Tony asks him, raising his eyebrows and reaching into his bag, ignoring the ruined paper that he'd just been using and pulling out a neat pile of folded sheets covered with equations and writing, "I didn't do question 7, by the way," He comments, "Because you didn't understand that the last time so it would be just a bit weird of you to suddenly miraculously get it now." Loki ignores that and looks over the work quickly, looking over at the lamp in annoyance, "Yeah, _you_ don't like it? Get your dad to fix it." Tony mutters, sliding under the blankets for warmth.

"It is a favor." Loki murmurs, ignoring him and only answering Tony's question of disbelief before, "You wanted to be able to use your brain, remember. So. I gave you the opportunity."

"Using my brain does not equal doing math equations and essays on Historical monuments. I meant you giving my _personal_ thesis' to your professor to see what he thinks."

"And _hence_ the favors. You do me one by saving me time, and I do yours by giving my professor your, ah," Staring, Loki looks as Tony pulls sheets upon sheets of lined paper out of the little rucksack beside his bag, " ... work."

"It's not finished yet," Tony explains, flicking through it all and quickly numbering the corners of each page with his broken pencil, "There's still a few theories that I need to add but your holidays are coming up so I won't be able to — "

Snagging it from his hands, Loki folds the papers down until they are a fifth of their size, placing them into his pocket; impatiently, "I honestly doubt he'll even _read_ it, finished or not, if I tell him that my servant wrote it."

Tony looks at him, chewing on the inside of his cheek, "So don't tell him that. Tell him, uh, tell him your 'friend' wrote it or something." Loki raises an eyebrow at him, "Oh come on, _please_. You lie constantly, what's one more?"

Sighing, Loki turns away to leave finally but at the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs from the first floor, the both of them freeze. Tony shrinks back under the blankets and watches as Loki quickly tries to hide before he's discovered here. He won't be able to, Tony's room is small enough as it is, without placing a wardrobe or a chest and there's really nowhere he can go. All there is, is a bed, a table with the lamp, and a window. Tony tends to make do and piles his only five outfits on the floor beside his bed, washing them consecutively throughout the week.

So before he can even move from where he's standing, Loki looks at Tony as though it's his fault that he hasn't anywhere to go and Tony barely manages to make a face before Odin is in the doorway.

Great. Just great.

"Is it not a little early in the morning for a chat? Anthony?" Tony swallows, looking down. Loki glances at him once, and then palms the pocket he'd placed Tony's thesis in before moving the hand when Tony looks at him pleadingly when Odin slides his eyes along the room, "Loki. Return to your room."

Straightening his back at the tone, Loki glances at Tony again before opening his mouth, "Father — "

"I will not repeat myself."

Tony winces, more on behalf of Loki, and bites his lip. Nodding twice, Loki visibly clenches his jaw before walking past his father to go upstairs. Tony doesn't watch him go and instead pins his gaze onto Odin.

"My sons have a test tomorrow morning and a full nights sleep is what they need right now." Under the blankets, Tony's hands automatically curl into fists at the blame that's so casually placed on him, but he's learnt not to comment by now. It only makes the lecture worse. "They do not need to be traipsing around at night with _you_."

"Loki came to _my_ room, sir." Tony corrects, "I didn't ask him to." Shut up, Tony.

Odin leans back slightly, his arm brushing against the doorway but he can't come inside. So far, the only person in the house that can fit under that doorway easily enough — without bending over or sliding in sideways — is Tony, which is the excuse that had been given when he'd first been told to sleep here. And one night had turned to another, to another, and soon this had been known as his room.

_Servant._

"Well." Odin starts, his one eye narrowed as he looks at Tony calmly, "If you are up so early, then perhaps you can start on breakfast _now_ instead then. As you seem to have time on your hands, make use of it, Thor is leaving at 8 today and not 9, so be sure that something is ready. A big breakfast, for his test, and something for all the rest of us as well."

Hunching his shoulders, Tony breaks his gaze and looks out the window at the dark, "We ran out of bread and margarine yesterday. I didn't get a chance to top up before your business party came and then I was serving tea, so there won't be any — "

"The shops should open in two hours, so no, there will be bread and margarine, as you will go and fetch some for us."

"But it's — "

"I did not ask for an answer."

Tony blinks slowly. It's winter. Freezing outside all of the time now in this season, especially at night and early morning, but if he's getting the tone right, then Odin actually means for him to go outside _now_ and actually wait for the shops to _open_.

It's more hardship than cruelty but, really, he hadn't slept at all tonight and his room is cold enough indoors that he can't even _imagine_ what outside is going to be like — starting work so early usually only ends up with him having one of those exhausting days where he just collapses in bed afterward and doesn't get even a chance to write more on a thesis or a set of equations. In other words, it's a waste of a day in his mind and a good use of his time in Odin's.

He's got a secret personal statement that he keeps hidden too, as well as an old textbook on engineering, that he works on after he's finished the housework but today he's definitely not going to be able to do anything with any of them.

Sliding out of bed slowly, he reaches for a set of clothes behind him and slips his shoes on.

"Yes, sir."

 

**_~_ **

 

It's absolutely _bitter_ cold outside and Tony hasn't even got a coat today. The only one that he has, had been left out to dry yesterday afternoon, but he had had to swap it with Thor's dress shirt afterward which meant that it had only tried to dry out during the night. The hem and it's sleeves are still soaking as a result and he'd rather not be ill so he's left it and gone without. Big mistake.

Shivering, he wraps his arms around his torso and holds the money sack tight in his fist, looking up at the moon. No one else is out and it's actually quite peaceful out here, in the town where no cars pass in the middle of the night and where it's rare to even see an airplane fly past. He sighs at how mundane it all is.

It must have snowed at some point last night too, not by a lot, only an inch, but Tony genuinely enjoys crunching through it all on the way to the grocery shop anyway, so it's not so bad.

The shop's closed. Obviously. He leans against the door with a sigh, sliding down to sit on the nearby bench, after brushing off the snow over it, and swinging his legs back and forth. Eighteen years old and he's still sent out to do jobs like this, Odin could at least appreciate them when they're done and not just give him more to do.

Someone's Christmas lights flash at him and he smiles, watching them blip in and out of existence — red, green, blue and yellow. He wonders if, this year, he can join in on the festivities in town and not just serve Christmas dinner until it's too late to do anything else.

Closing his eyes, he can feel himself gradually begin to drift off, willing himself not to because —

"Tony?" Startled, he looks up and around, squinting in the dark while the streetlamp blinks down at him, "What are you doing out here so early, it's _freezing_."

"Yeah I know." Tony mutters, standing and moving aside to let Pepper past, "Tell me about it."

She glances at him with a smile, guessing correctly first time, "Odin?"

Shivering still, he nods at her with a dry smirk and rushes inside gratefully when she opens the door, trying to warm himself up by shuffling. Pepper bends and turns the heating on full blast, shutting the door behind her and keeping it still on "closed".

"I've not seen you for a while now. How's the university stuff going? Got an _escape plan_ yet?" She grins when he glares at her, hoisting himself up onto the counter just as she starts to get everything set up, "Just a question Tony."

"Laugh it up Potts, but when I get an interview at MIT — "

"Tony you didn't even _attend_ high school, you'll never — "

"I attended the _exams_!" He protests, "I have qualifications."

Opening up her till and turning all of the lights on, Pepper just giggles to herself and lifts up the bread that she knows Tony will be after. He slides off the counter and grabs the margarine himself, getting an extra bag of flour and rice just in case too.

"All I'm saying is don't get your hopes up. There are other things you can do, here, and Odin isn't exactly going to live forever. Once he's gone maybe you can make your own life."

Tony looks at her, taking the money from his bag and placing it on the counter whilst she heads over toward the door to turn the sign backward; letting the early risers know that it's now open, "Maybe." He echoes. "I don't want a _maybe_. I want out for definite. And it's not all just Odin alone, anyway — though _yes_ life will definitely be a whole lot better when he's gone but the entire _town_ is the problem too."

Pausing, Pepper looks at him, her hands half way into the bag she'd put Tony's products into, "What's wrong with the town?"

"Everything.” He mutters, taking the bag and tossing the receipt into the bin, "It — look, it doesn't matter anyway, it's just me being a dick." She raises an eyebrow, stifling a laugh as she lifts Tony's bag out of his reach.

"You must have learnt from Loki, then." She tells him dryly, waggling her eyebrows now and if Tony's eyes could narrow anymore ...

"I'm not talking to the idiot, actually, so you can keep your — "

"Not talking?" She moves then bag when he tries to snatch at it, "Why not? Is he not appreciating you doing his homework enough?"

"The asshole snuck into my room to collect some and didn't even bother being discreet enough about it that I was caught by Odin. Hence me being here so fucking _early_ in the morning." Pepper half smirks, half frowns at him.

"That's all?"

"What do you mean _that's all_?" Tony glares at her, grabbing the bag finally only for it to rip when she flings it to the side, "Last time he came into my room, I asked him to not again and he's clearly ignored that. I even said _please_ — "

"Wow."

"And the dickhead just comes inside anyway and gets _me_ into trouble. He knows, I bet he knows, that he won't be blamed for anything, so he just takes advantage of that! And I'm sick of it. Thor's a bully, yeah, but I can avoid him and get my own back most of the time but with Loki, I never know if he's lying or teasing or actually, genuinely _helping_ me, and he just — "

"Sounds like you have the crush of the century." Pepper informs him, incredibly seriously, there's no doubt that she's mocking him. Tony looks at her, deadpanned, before lunging for the bag again.

"If this is what a crush is, then God help anyone else with one because — look just gimme my _stuff_ Pepper, I'm late! It's already 7:10!" Blinking, Pepper turns to look at the clock and then immediately hands it over with an apologetic smile, her cheeks flushing as they usually do whenever she feels bad for going overboard with her teasing. Tony takes it quickly, giving her one of his own smiles to tell her that it's okay, knowing already that she doesn't mean to get him in trouble.

Unlike _some_ people.

He ends up running back to the manor this time, panting and holding the bag tight, and he waves when Rhodey calls after him in greeting; making his way to the public high-school. Tony pauses for about a second, watching him mingle over there with friends and peers and discuss homework and teachers and essays and _PE_ , and he _wonders_ —

But the moment passes and he turns away, because he's already late, damn it, he hasn't got _time_ for wishes.

His eight year old self learnt that lesson pretty easily.

No one's downstairs yet, thank God, when Tony stumbles into the kitchen but going to a private school with different timings sort of explains that anyway. Lie-ins all around for everyone, but Tony.

He places his purchases in the fridge and the cupboards and quickly defrosts some meat for Thor's breakfast, toasting the bread that he'd just bought and letting the kettle boil while he waits for it all.

He's just starting to boil and fry some eggs when Jarvis, the butler, wanders downstairs from having made sure that the other, non-occupied rooms are presentable and clean, and with him comes Frigga. She gives Tony a smile when he hands her the tea that he'd made for her and he tries to return it but honestly, his hands are already aching and it's barely just turned 7:50. God it's going to be a long day.

Odin comes down shortly after with Loki and the both of them sit in chairs far from each other, as usual (Tony's learnt not to mention stuff like that out-loud, if he ever wants to save his fingernails from the scrubbing) taking the food that Tony places before them and it's not a minute later that Thor comes barreling downstairs too. Late, as always. Tony chews on the inside of his cheek to stop himself from commenting angrily when the eggs are just snatched straight from the pan, especially when the boiling hot oil is then splashed onto his hands enough to make him nearly drop everything. He lays the plates down carefully on the table and washes his burn under cold water as quickly as he can, glaring at the tap and hating the fact that he can practically feel Loki's stupid gaze at the back of his head.

He stays by the sink then, and shakes his head in answer to Frigga's request at sitting down with them and eating too, because the last time he'd actually done that, Thor had subjected him to kicks under the table and Odin had subjected him to stupid, probing and embarrassing questions that he'd really rather not hear all over again.

Still, the offer is sweet, and it is nice to remember that there are at least two people in the manor that care about him just a little. Frigga's never really ordered him any more than just a few politely-phrased requests and she actually asks about his well-being now-and-again — and had even once taken the time to look after him when he'd been down with flu. And. Well. Without Jarvis around Tony would probably be lost half the time, so that sort of goes without saying.

Odin stands when it finally turns around 8:05 and he and Thor leave to go out toward the car; to get to the school early. Loki's likely going to wait for the bus as his test isn't as early and though usually Tony would love the extra time alone without Odin to have a chat, today he finds himself wishing that he had some sort of job to do before instead. Pepper's words at the shop haven't stopped running through his mind and the anger that he'd felt this morning no longer seems as important or as infuriating as it had been before, and he doesn't _want_ to feel like that. He wants to piss Loki off for pissing him off first, and if doing that means ignoring, then he will.

Besides. Today is going to be a complete hell, likely, and if it hadn't been for Loki — who's unappreciative about everything that Tony does for him _anyway_ — he'd not have to —

"You look younger when you're angry." Loki informs him when he passes to place his plate in the sink, nodding at his mother when she turns to leave for her weekly slot of volunteering in the hospital. "Childish." She gives them a look, pulling on her coat, and adjusting her little badge before taking the second set of car keys from the hook and walking out of the side door in the kitchen that leads toward the extended driveway.

Tony gives Loki a dubious look of his own, twisting the tap on behind him and spinning around to start washing up, "Do I." He answers curtly, and fucking _damn_ it, what happened to not talking? He grips the sponge tight enough that it grows thin in his hands until he lets go.

Well, at least he was curt.

"Mm." Loki hums beside him, leaning on the counter and watching as Tony scrubs at plates and glasses and cutlery as though it's the most fascinating thing in the world, "Tony." He finally murmurs after a while, "This morning. After I left. ... Did he talk of anything?" Tony overturns the plate in his hand and sets it on the rack beside him, "My father I mean. Anything about me?" Of course. It's _always_ about him. Tony squeezes the sponge again, draining it of the dirt and filling it with soap and water instead, turning the tap off and reaching for the towel, "Tony. I've need to know, so — "

"Shouldn't you be getting ready for school?"

Loki straightens, looking at him with a glare now, instead of that almost worried expression before that Tony is so pointedly trying not to notice, "Unlike my _brother_ , Tony, I like to ready myself early, and I'll begin to walk to the stop in a few minutes if that is alright with _you_." Tony shrugs coolly, opening the cupboards and placing the plates he's dried inside. Loki sighs, "I suppose you're being punished then. Is that why?"

"Is that why, what?"

There's a sigh and Tony restrains himself from smirking at that. "It is strange you know." Loki then adds, surprisingly calm despite Tony's rudeness and isn't that annoying. "To see him blame you so much."

"Is it."

Loki nods, ignoring Tony's sarcasm, "He usually reserves that for me."

Rolling his eyes, Tony turns the mug by the sink's corner over and places all of the recently cleaned forks and spoons into it, "Are you seriously feeling sorry for yourself? Mr-I'll-get-my-servant-into-trouble-but-it's-okay-because-daddy-blames-me-for- _everything_ -else-anyway-so-it'll-all-pan-out-okay-for- _me_. You know, I kind of want my hands to still work in a few years and if you keep getting me into trouble like this I'll — "

"It isn't as though I do it all on purpose." Loki snaps at him and Tony strongly resists the urge to throw the towel in his face.

"I asked you to stay out of my room before and you didn't listen. You're so completely entitled you — "

Scoffing at him loudly, Loki surges past him, purposefully colliding their shoulders together and stopping the beginning of a rant immediately. But, without looking back, he then mutters to him, almost bitterly, as he passes — and it's mostly because of that tone that Tony can tell that he's telling the truth. " _Alright_. I'm sorry then, for whatever it is worth." Tony turns fully around to stare after him but all he ends up seeing anyway is just the kitchen doors swinging shut after his exit.

The front door opens and closes a few seconds later and he sighs, dropping the towel and sitting on a vacant chair at the table with a groan. This has got to be the thousandth time that Loki has pissed Tony off or gotten him into trouble and after a few words from the guy, everything is somehow, suddenly forgotten. Grinding his teeth together, Tony's hands itch to do something other than clean and he ends up wandering over to his room instead, after a while — to at least make use of the time that Odin isn't in the house.

 

**_~_ **

****

Thor's room is booby trapped. It's horribly clear the exact moment that Tony steps inside; he instinctively shields himself with the mop in hand when he senses the shadow of something about to fall and is first assaulted by the smell of old socks (the usual) before a large bucket of water and broken-eggs topples from the arch of the doorway to land just beside his feet.

He stumbles back quickly, blinking twice in shock and feeling his face grow both hot and cold with anger because if that had _fallen on him, he'd_ —

Odin wanders past with notebooks and check-sheets, giving him a look before continuing past, "It seems we have time for practical jokes as well, now."

Tony stares at him, open-mouthed at the fact that despite _seeing_ the string connecting it to his own son's room, Odin still - " _Like_ I would even bother to — "

"I did not ask for a discussion."

"I wasn't — "

"Clean it and come to my study, Anthony. You are, clearly, long overdue a talk."

Clenching a hand around the mop until his palm stings, Tony watches as Odin hauls himself up the rest of the stairs to the second floor, hating how the anger dissipates into dread. He sighs and turns toward the mess, soaking the mop in his own bucket and swirling soapy water through the egg and dirt. He only scrubs at that one area, for now, knowing that Odin'll only send him back here anyway once he's given him a new load of work to do in just a minute.

Leaving the floor to dry, Tony hurriedly dumps the mop into the bucket, balancing it against the wall, and walking up the stairs quickly; wiping his hands on the sides of his thighs as he goes. He knocks even though he's expected and enters when Odin grants him permission to.

The study is one of the smallest rooms on the second floor of the manor and is still twice the size of Tony's; Bor had used to sit here and act out his times of war with the swords on the rack. Now the swords sit in a thick, glass display above the electric fireplace, and Odin sits in Bor's seat.

"Sit down." Tony does as ordered, sitting on the stool in the corner, chewing on the inside of his bottom lip. Odin turns a page, signs the last of his contracts before finally looking up. There's another pause, however, while he straightens and sorts through his pens. Tony sits in silence, waiting, and listening to the fake-crackle of the fake-fire in the wall - wishing it were real and wishing —

He would stop being so childish about _wishing_.

"This morning." Odin begins and Tony snaps his head toward him quickly, blinking old memories away, "What was Loki doing in your room?" Tony's stomach twists horribly tight. Odin flips over a page and scribbles something down. "I'm waiting."

"He'd left his homework on the table." Tony lied immediately. Calm, clear. Now if only he could stop his hands from shaking. "I — I put it aside when I'd tidied it away so he came to collect — "

"Strange that he could not wait for morning to do so."

Tony flushed. "I — um. I think he must've just remembered or - or something, and then just wanted to get it before he forgot ... ? Maybe. I don't know, you'd have to ask him." Shit. What if he did? What if Loki _tells_ him? Or if Odin finds Tony's work anyway. His personal statement, his university research, his thesis', project drafts, textbooks — everything'll be taken away from him if —

"Perhaps I will." Odin turns another page while Tony inwardly panics before him, praying again and again that this is all forgotten by the time Loki comes home. "In the meantime, however, as you've obviously the energy to stay up all night — "

"I didn't wa — "

The pencil pot shakes when Odin's fist slams into the table. Tony jerks upright immediately, his back painfully straight and his face as blank and as un-argumentative as he can make it look, "Interrupt me again, Anthony. And I swear to you." The threat is left unfinished, the possibilities of what Odin can do to him quite endless really so there isn't really a need to complete it, the point comes across well enough anyway.

"I'm sorry, sir." Tony murmurs quickly, chewing back his pride by biting down on the inside of his cheek after speaking. Odin ignores his apology and continues on from before as though nothing had happened.

"You can use your energy elsewhere. I've a business party coming this evening and the manor _must_ be clean for their visit. The rugs in the meeting rooms will be cleaned. The windows there also and the fireplace will be checked for any animals or insects." Gradually, in his head, Tony resigns himself to the list to help remember it all, feeling as his shoulders sag slowly down as Odin gets on with it, "The old tapestries will be re-stitched and repaired for decoration, the floors will be mopped, the stairs dusted. The display cases will be — "

"I finished them yesterday, they're done already."

" _Interruption_." Odin growls at him, his one eye narrowed now and Tony ducks his head down in response to it, bitterly wishing that the childhood fight Odin had had as a child had taken more than just his stupid eye out. A blind Odin would be much easier to deal with than one that can see. "And you will do them again in that case."

"Yes sir."

_**~** _

* * *

__

_**~** _

Loki is called into Odin's study as soon as he returns home and from the expression on his face as it gives Tony a look — when he passes him on the stairs — makes it clear that he knows that it's not just to ask how his day has been.

Thor undresses in the middle of the hallway when he follows his brother inside, and he dumps his shirt on the stair that Tony's kneeling on, not even bothering to tell him what to do with it and just bounding up the stairs to tease his brother about _being in trouble with father_. Tony finishes the last step before lifting Thor's shirt and kicking open the laundry basket to take them all for washing up.

He slams the washing-machine's lid shut, hard, in his anger at the family and his fear over what Loki and Odin could be discussing. If his work is discovered, he's stuck here. Indefinitely. And that's a life that he can't even bring himself to think about with regards to the future because without something to look forward to ... what else has he got?

But Loki hasn't got any reason to keep Tony's personal stuff a secret and any second now, his life will be —

"Are you washing today?" Tony drops the washing powder box on his foot and hisses at the sting of pain it causes. He quickly picks it up before any falls out and turns to find Loki leaning against the doorway, shirtless and frustrated, "My shirt." He states, handing it over. Tony wordlessly takes it and shoves it into the washing-machine as well, "Oh and, no. I didn't. Before you demand an answer of me." Pausing, Tony stays bent over, turning the dials after a minute so that the wash can begin.

"What do you mean?"

"I told him nothing of your work. I promise." Looking at him slowly, Tony straightens and — a little bug-eyed, actually — stares. "... what?"

"You — _why_?"

Scoffing, Loki rolls his eyes and starts to turn away, "A word of thanks is all I'm aft — "

"Thank you!" Tony blurts out before he goes. Loki stops, looking over his shoulder, "Really. I — thanks." Loki turns back around, fully, and folds his arms across his chest; looking at him as though he’s half miffed, half intrigued.

“You thought I would tell him. Didn’t you.”

Tony shrugs at him, giving him a sheepish half-grin that isn’t returned in any way, “Well. You haven’t exactly got any reason to _not_ tell him. Plus — from what I know about you two, you’re not exactly on the best — ”

“My father and Loki’s stand is not any of your business Antony,” Tony stiffens automatically at the sound of Thor’s drawl but the face Loki makes before he turns around helps some, “If you notice things, keep them inside. It’ll do you good to learn that.”

Tony turns away from him, lifting the basket of dried clothes that he’s just collected from the dryer before, muttering to himself quickly, “It’ll do _you_ good to learn how to wash your own _clothes_.”

Thor takes a step forward, frowning, “What?”

Tony hitches the basket onto his hip, giving him a cool look in return, “What?” He echoes, squeezing past and heading for his room; where he’ll sort through the clothes before putting them in whosoever's room that they belong in. He only vaguely hears Thor’s reprimand of ‘you should not _talk_ with him’ before leaving but unfortunately — or fortunately, depending — Loki’s reply is far too muffled by the walls to hear afterward.

But still. He'd kept quiet about it. About all of Tony's work and his secret studying and working, and that in it's self is —

_**INGONG** _

Tony blinks, looking at the door. Oh no. Nononono. The business party _can't_ be here, he hasn't finished yet! Shit. Odin's going to —

The bell rings again and he quickly places the basket by the edge of the stairs, running over to unlock and slide it open, brushing his hair out of his face and stepping back to allow the man standing on the steps through.

"Ah, _thank_ you. I thought you'd leave me out there forever." It had hardly taken that long, Tony wants to say, before realizing that the man isn't being rude at all anyway. He pauses for a moment, wiping at his glasses and shaking rain out of his hair. Tony hadn't even noticed the thunder storm outside, he'd been too busy before. "Now." The man adjusts his suit and takes out a stack of folded paper from inside his jacket, "Where can I find — ?"

"Mr Burison is in his study if you want him, sir." Tony finishes for him, trying hard to be polite even though he's really growing a little impatient right now. He needs to finish his work before Odin notices that he's a little behind and if —

"Professor Banner?" Tony looks over his shoulder at the sound of Loki's voice and steps to the side to let the two of them see each other. All the more easier for him to subtly continue to sort the basket out. "I — is something wrong?"

"Loki!" Banner shouts out happily, so unnecessarily loud that Tony winces beside him, "I was hoping I'd see you." Loki walks toward him dubiously, glancing at Tony once with an unreadable expression before looking down at what the professor has in his hand. Banner waves it forward and it's then that Tony recognizes it, "That work you gave me before. Well _done_. It's incredibly advanced, I'm impressed."

Wait, _what_?

Tony turns to looks at Loki, slowly, a furiously disbelieving glare forming over his face. Loki, clearly knowing that he's busted, visibly chews on the inside of his cheek but doesn't even bother to return the look. "Thank you, sir."

Oh my God.

That. _Fucking_. **Bastard**.

"But, I do have to admit that I did kind of use the internet for at least three hours to check — and double check — for plagiarism. But it's clear. All original and it's very fascinating. Really. Well done."

Tony's hand tightens on the door and his glare turns cool, his face expectant as he watches Loki almost flush under the scrutiny, "Thank you, sir."

Banner frowns at him under the glasses, "Is there something wrong?"

Tony hums, leaning back, "Yeah Loki. Is something the matter?"

Loki grits his teeth, looking over at Tony with a roll of his eyes, "No, sir. Nothing."

Banner smiles, "Good. Now I need to talk about the — oh wait. Ah," He looks at Tony, shrugging his coat off and handing it over, "Would you mind?" Giving him as sincere a smile as he can, despite how hurt he feels inside, Tony takes the sodden coat and goes to hang it up. When he returns, he sees Loki shutting the door to one of the seating rooms and can hear them talking while all he does is just lift up the basket again and continue on with his work.

That should be him in there. _Should_. Doesn't he deserve that, at least?

Well. It's his fault, he supposes. For ever trusting an asshole.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please excuse any spelling mistakes D:
> 
> And sorry for there being so many of these: —
> 
> I can't resist!


	2. Chapter 2

**_~_ **

* * *

**_~  
_ **   


****

 

Odin's business party comes a little later than he'd said they would, in the evening, which really means that Tony's getting a late night again. He'd finished in time at least, working at a furiously fast pace, working out his anger with every stroke of his broom, mop and dustpan-and-brush until he'd had to stop to take a breath and restrain himself from finding Loki and _beating him up_.

He's served tea already, pointedly trying not to eavesdrop to their discussions but still catching bits and pieces. Mainly about how they're planning on ceasing all funds to the local orphanage.

God he hates them.

But now, dismissed from the meeting room and sent to continue anything he's missed out, he'd retreated to the one room he knows he'll never be disturbed in. Bor's old study.

Tony sighs as he re-sews around broken threads of the old tapestries, seated on a little stool as he works miserably. He's gotten the hang of sewing now, learning after the first few pricks of blood that he'd caused months ago when he'd first been asked to repair these. He'd only just finished yesterday and yet here he is. Doing them all, all over again. He supposes that maybe he should be grateful that it's only a few strings that have come undone so far and that he doesn't have to clean them again as well, because —

The floorboard creaks. It's kinda what gives Loki away. And it is Loki, because who else would come find him here?

Tony pauses, the needle between two of his fingers still poised and ready for him to continue and he doesn't bite back his anger into something more respectful. Why should he. "What do _you_ want?"

Loki glares at him, probably for the tone, but doesn't comment and only steps forward some more. He sits on another stool as well, pulling it forward until he can shove at Tony's shoulder with his own. It's a friendly gesture, sort of, but all it really does is piss Tony off all the more.

"Don't touch me." He snaps, turning his face to the side and cursing under his breath when he stabs at his finger with the damned needle again. All thanks to _Loki_ , the dickhead. "Go away."

"Stark Industries is holding a meeting with Dr Banner next week." Loki says, not going away clearly, and talking on top of that. "Three other professors will be there along with the board of directors and the main R&D department heads."

Tony ignores the gloat, viciously stabbing at the tapestry, "Fascinating."

"Junior scientists will be asked to show-room projects of theirs in the hall that it's set in." Loki turns to face him now. Too bad Tony's pointedly not trying to meet his gaze. "You only have two days, I'd suggest you get moving."

Oh the _nerve_. "Like I'm going to bother making something for you just so you can — "

"Do you really think I would be as shallow as to take your work for my own?" _Yes_. "I told you my professor wouldn't read it if I told him it's my servants, so I _didn't_ tell him that." Tony pauses, trying not to show it but Loki leans closer like he knows what he's saying makes sense. And it does. But still ...

When Tony doesn't say anything in reply, Loki sighs and elaborates some more, "Dr Banner is _aware_ now, that I am not the true writer. I told him so." Tony gives him a look. "I _did_."

"Yeah, right." Tony scoffs, "And you, what? Expect that after ten years of me falling for your lies, you want me to just suddenly believe that you had a change of heart and only lied to help — " Lowering his head to rest on his fist, Loki's glare returns and Tony stops himself, blinking. "Uh, okay. You actually do, then." Squinting at him, Tony leans closer, looking into Loki's eyes with a blatant disregard for personal space. Loki wordlessly pushes him back and stands.

"Gratitude is something that you don't understand, isn't it." He mutters and if that isn't an oxymoron on it's own, then Tony's been a Lord all his life and not a servant. "Well, if you wish to go, the invitation is in your room." He continues, leaning down with a dry smirk, "That is. If you _believe_ me enough to check." Tony stabs his finger for the fifteen time at that and he seriously hates his teenage mind because seriously, of _all_ people, it has to be — Loki tucks a strand of Tony's hair behind one ear almost absently and sighs, seemingly oblivious as to how flustered he's just made him. "I hope you do. You've ... truthfully, always been the only one in this household that I can trust. It's only fair if the faith is mutual, isn't it."

Stunned, Tony can only blink at him slowly and when Loki leaves, he quickly sucks at the drop of blood on the tip of his finger, frowning and staring after him thoughtfully.

Or really, dare he even think it, dreamily. God. He doesn't even have to mentally ponder of it, he knows. He's forgiven him, as usual. But it does make sense, and if there is an invitation in his room then maybe Loki really didn't mean anything by it. Maybe.

_Sounds like you have the crush of the century._

Jesus. Fucking. Dammit.

_**~** _

__

* * *

_**  
** _   


_**~** _

 

There's an invitation on his bed.

It's in gold, written in felt-tip black and signed by a Mister Obadiah Stane. It's real. A real invitation to something. For _Tony_.

He flips the invitation between both of his hands, reading and rereading it all so many times through until he's completely certain that it _is_ completely real, and that it's not just some cruel and elaborate joke of Loki's. It's not. _Wow_.

Obadiah Stane signed the thing, but obviously didn't write it, because from what Tony knows of him he really doesn't seem the type to use exclamation marks and so on. The other clue into this is that there's a subtle little message on the back, telling that the guy is supposed to be announced as retired at this party/meeting but that he apparently has no idea about it yet.

So yeah, he probably didn't write the thing if that's the case. Tony guesses that maybe a teacher did then.

Poor guy. Doesn't even know he's being let go. Or, maybe not poor guy. Tony isn't one to judge, he doesn't know the guy personally so for all he knows, he could either be a Bor Burison or an _Odin_ Burison. Or, God help them all, a _Loki_.

Still the invitation tells one thing. Loki had been telling the truth. And though this still rings a little fishy, Tony's willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. And it has nothing to do with the fact that he's pined after Loki for almost five years now.

For want of a distraction, and still slightly dazed that this is happening, Tony looks back down at the invitation again.

It reads:

 

~

**_Dear Junior Scientist of Asgardian Grammar School/Asgardian High._ **

****

**_You have been invited to the presentation of young and gifted scientists before the board of directors of the famous science and weapons industry, Stark Industries itself._ **

****

**_For this meeting, which will be held inside an enlarged tent on the university park of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, you will bring an advanced science project of your own design to show-room and present to Mr Obadiah Stane._ **

****

**_From there, the winner of this presentation will be taken on tour to Stark Industries, and may even gain a full-time apprenticeship. So get working!_ **

****

**_As you will be expected to make your own way to the university itself, the address it enclosed beneath this._ **

****

~

 

Unfolding the rest of it, Tony can easily see the printed: _77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139._ and his heart literally leaps into his throat with pure, undiluted excitement.

This is it. This is _it_. This is his ticket out of here. He can do this.

All he needs to do is create a project impressive enough to wow the board of directors and he's in. He scans over the invitation again and remembers — and reads — that it's next Thursday. That only gives him a week and two days, but that's fine. Fine. Once he gets Odin's permission to go ~~_if_~~ then all he needs to do then, is to find a way to get there and to work on the project and then he's _gone_!

_Finally!_

He forcefully refrains from hugging the invitation to his chest, but seriously, can he even _imagine_ this? New York. _Him_. This is perfect. It's so perfectly the best escape plan and he didn't even have to come up with it himself. The only downplay is that it all relies on time. But he has that, he _does_ , he has time and he can —

" _Anthony_!" Wincing, Tony quickly looks over his shoulder at the actual roar of Thor's shout, "Where are you, the clothes have finished in the dryer hours ago! I need my pajamas!"

Oops.

Hiding the invitation quickly he sighs to himself, drawing on the patience that he's learnt to keep inside in all these years under service to this family.

"Anthony!"

"I'm coming!" He calls back, biting his lip as he tries to figure out how to better manage his time.

 _"An-thon-y!_ "

Ugh. Oh well. He'll have time to work on drafting something tomorrow. Hopefully.

 

* * *

 

Tony catches Loki before breakfast.

And by that, he means walking into his room before everyone else is up, intent on waking him and thanking him properly — punching him for the brief lie before as well, never mind that Tony's already forgiven him, his crush doesn't exclude _everything_ — but he must have misjudged Loki's waking methods because the guy is up already.

Up and naked, to be precise; immediately falling onto his ass with a muffled shout with his briefs half up, when Tony just walks inside unannounced. And when Tony just freezes in reaction, he glares at him from the floor and barks out, "Get _out_."

Oh yeah. Um. Blinking sharply and _so_ not taking in how he looks like this, Tony turns his back on him quickly and rushes outside. He doesn't apologize, because quite frankly, if he tries to he'll probably end up laughing in Loki's face. Which he does anyway when, five minutes later, Loki yanks the door open to glare down at him; red in the face and fully dressed now.

"Have you forgotten the basic rules of _knocking_?"

Tony presses his lips together, fighting the rest of his laugh back, "I thought you'd still be asleep." He admits, walking past when Loki moves back and stepping inside. He starts to automatically collect any dirty clothing as a sort of excuse for being in here, but unfortunately Loki's always been some sort of neat freak so there's not much to tidy.

"Well?" Loki asks him, impatiently, the flush on his face dying down, "What do you want?"

"To thank you." Tony says bluntly, looking at him and smiling, "For giving my work to your professor and ... getting me this opportunity." Loki lowers his eyes, looking at him so completely unimpressed that Tony has to roll his eyes at the lack of reaction; walking past him with only a t-shirt and a pair of white socks and creating his own reply, "'You're welcome Tony. It's the least I could do, after how hard you work for us all.' 'Not to mention how many times you've had to _lie_ to my father for me just so I can — '"

"Yes, _thank you_ , I understand." Loki mutters, though he's smiling now. He sighs, grabbing at his brush to comb back his hair, "Could that at least not have waited until I was downstairs?"

"No." Tony smiles back at him, too sweetly for it to be real, "Because then your father would just start questioning me all over again about you. And once was enough, thanks." Tony turns back to face him, "What's with that by the way?"

"None of your business." Okay then. Tony raises an eyebrow, smirking, "Thought I was the only one in this household you could trust." Surprisingly, that draws a laugh out from Loki but all he does is shove Tony toward the door. "Oh wait, wait. One more thing." Bundling the shirt into the crook of one arm, Tony pulls back his other back to punch him hard in the chest. "That's for lying." Loki's eyebrows twitch upward and he snorts.

"Right. You would have thought that all those hours you spend scrubbing would have at least taught you a little _strength_."

Excuse me. Tony narrows his eyes, kicking Loki's ankle instead this time — which at least makes him hiss — before turning and walking out with a smile. "See you downstairs, Loki."

 

**~**

Breakfast isn't as bad as it had been yesterday but that's maybe due to Tony being so cheery today. This morning, he'd woken up with a fresh sense of hope for once, and that's not actually changed so far. Hopefully Odin doesn't put a damper onto it.

"Cease your humming, it's growing on my nerves." Speaking of. "I've an early meeting today Anthony. Hand me my plate first."

"Sure." Tony lays it all out before him, letting Odin choose whatever he wants himself and making more in case they run out sooner than he assumes they will. He then bites his lip, unsure of whether to ask Odin for permission now or later. Sooner would be better but Tony's sort of a coward when it comes to asking Odin for things. He usually gets a 'no'. Or a punishment, depending.

After cracking two eggs into the frying pan, he decides to go for it and takes a deep breath, turning around to face him. "Um." He starts, hesitating. "I was actually wondering, sir. As well. If I could ask you for something?"

Odin doesn’t look up from where he’s slicing the fried egg in half, dipping his toast into the yolk, “Yes?”

“Next Thursday. I, uh, could I … have the day off?” And now, Odin looks up at him. Tony doesn’t turn away, holding his ground. His mouth's gone dry but really, that’s only because Odin could so easily not allow him to leave. And while that isn’t exactly going to stop him going, it’ll make things a hell of a lot harder.

“I mean. I — I haven’t had one since May, and that was really only because I had the flu, so. So I was thinking I could have one on Thursday? _Next_ Thursday, I mean." Odin raises an eyebrow so Tony quickly adds, ~~lies~~ , "I know that this one is a little too short notice for you.”

Odin looks at him for a long moment, tilting his head to one side in thought, while Tony just turns back to the cooker as a distraction when the silence goes on for a little longer than he'd hoped it would. And that at least hides the expression on his face when Odin murmurs in answer: “We shall see.”

We shall see. Tony's shoulders slump, but he'd sort of guessed that anyway.

'We shall see' meaning no.

"Yes si — " He starts to automatically 'thank' him as he's meant to when he's interrupted by the one person that he'd hoped would overhear. Luck is on his side, today, for once in his entire life and he almost says that aloud in relief.

“See, what?” Frigga asks as she steps into the kitchen, unaware of how happy she's just made Tony by arriving then. She's tying her hair back as she sits and thanks Tony when he places a plate before her.

Odin doesn’t answer her, as predicted, so Tony does instead, trying not to sound too pleading or eager and instead makes his voice as bland as he can, “I was asking for a day off from work for next Thursday." Frigga frowns, briefly, at Odin as though realizing what his answer had meant before and aims a smile at Tony.

"Well I don't see why not. You've clearly earned it." Tony's heart swells and he turns for a third time; smiling brightly at her.

"Frigga — " Odin starts but she talks over him, ignoring the clear displeasure on his face.

"He works hard, Odin, for all of us. A day off is hardly going to hurt anyone and we won't even be home that day anyway."

That's news. "You won't?"

She smiles at him, tucking into her food, "Stark Industries is holding an event at MIT and Odin's business has been invited. We shall all be going."

 _Really_? "Can I come?" He blurts out immediately, not even bothering to tone it down or back-track because, _yes_ this is great. He's got a cover. And it's a perfect cover. If Odin's there on business, then he's going to be nowhere near the junior side of things and Tony has a way of getting there too.

Frigga's answering smile is almost grateful, in a way, and that in itself makes him wonder over just how much she really knows about how he works here.

She always tends to invite him to family outings and so on but he always — mostly due to her husband anyway — has to decline due to the long list of work that he's been given. But from how she looks now, he wonders if that's what she thinks he's doing or whether she thinks that he just doesn't like them; which is ridiculous. He loves her. And is ... okay with Loki.

But. Maybe — looking at Odin — he wonders if that's what she's been _told_ instead, and he suddenly wants to privately talk to her and assure her that she's mainly the reason he's not fallen into depression yet.

As it is, Odin doesn't really look happy about his request but Frigga looks ecstatic, "Of course! You can even — "

" _If_." Odin interrupts her now, laying down some more of his control now that his wife has taken a bit away, "You finish your work in time. You may." Tony nods quickly, earnestly. He always finishes what he's doing, no matter how big the list is. He'll be fine. "And you will need a suit. If you are to attend with us, then you will not wear what you always do."

Ah, problem. "Sure. I can — I mean I have one." He admits. It'd been a gift and it's a little tattered so he doubts it'll work to gain Odin's approval. But it's all he's got. "It's old, and ... it belonged to your father, but it's wearable." Odin's hand tightens around the fork at the mention of Bor but he doesn't comment, "It's a little old-fashioned too, but — I can edit that." Looking at the impatience on Odin's face, Tony realizes that he's babbling and he quickly clears his throat and straightens, "I'll be presentable, I promise."

"You'd better be."

Loki comes down a moment later, just as it turns 8am exactly, and Odin rises to leave when he finally takes a seat; giving one last nod of permission to Tony. If he didn't have any self-control, Tony would probably be jumping around the house right about now, screaming at the top of his voice in happiness. Reality-wise, he'll just make do with humming again.

Thor isn't incredibly late today but he still rushes around like the big idiot he is, grabbing from plates and nudging his brother out of the way when they both rise to get their coats; leaving with Frigga today — early again as it's only just turned 8:20.

Frigga gives him a nod and a smile and it widens when Tony returns it genuinely and he leans out the window to watch them go.

Afterward, he washes up super fast as he doesn't exactly want to waste any of his now-precious time, and as soon as he's done he literally runs out of the house toward the shops; grabbing his now-finally-dry coat on the way. If he's to get started straight away, he'll need equipment.

Skidding over last night's ice on the pavement, he makes it to the edge of the shops and manages to stay upright, finally catching sight of the one person that he's after and getting his attention in the only way he knows how. Jumping up and down and shouting his name. "Rhodey! _Rhodey_ , hey!"

Rhodey, clearly taking the bus today, looks up from under the shelter a little startled, looking around with a frown, "Hey!" He waves with a grin when he sees who it is calling him and beckons Tony over. Perfect. Rhodey'll help him — Tony runs over — he always does.

Rhodey and Tony had only really ended up knowing each other from all of the times they'd talked over the years — meeting when Tony had been fourteen and Rhodey a year older. They'd usually see each other whenever Tony would be shopping for supplies or when Rhodey would be making his way to school, or even doing a little shopping of his own for his mom.

And when Rhodey had first called Tony 'friend', it had all seemed kind of surreal at first, but they are. In a weird way. They've had each others back, Rhodey in more ways than one — going so far as even calling his mom to _lie_ to Odin for Tony's sake, by telling him that family money was stolen and not that Tony had used it to buy himself some warm clothes for the upcoming winter, and things like that. As one of Tony's only friends, they're close in a way that makes people assume they're adopted brothers, and seeing him now, Tony knows he can't do this without him.

Rhodey offers Tony a seat on the shelter and grins at him when Tony immediately sits down and swivels around to face him. "Hey, how are you Tone? We've not talked for ages."

Putting both of his hands on both Rhodey's shoulders, Tony looks him dead in the eye — Let it never be said that he couldn't have graduated in drama. "Rhodey. I need you to steal a soldering iron."

Rhodey blinks, staring. "Uh. What?"

"I need you. To steal. A soldering Iron." Tony repeats, slowly, earnestly. Rhodey doesn't look any less baffled, "Preferably today."

"And how the hell am I supposed to steal a soldering iron?"

"I dunno." Tony shrugs, "Find one that's still a little cool and stuff it into your rucksack, or something."

Raising his eyebrows, Rhodey clearly realizes that Tony is being completely serious. "Ah-kay. ... Do I want to ask why?"

"You can." Tony pants, having run all of the way here and giddy in his own excitement. He takes a deep breath, not even bothering to hide his face-splitting smile, "I'm entering the Junior Scientist competition at MIT."

And now, the bafflement is replaced with a huge grin, "Really? That's great Tony! I heard about that, they've been advertising for ages, trying to get us all more interested in science. I've been meaning to tell you but you've been busy all the times I've seen you."

He has been? "Sorry." Tony grimaces but Rhodey waves it off.

"It's fine, I get it. Odin's on your back. But really, man. That's brilliant."

"I _know_. It's my ticket outta here and I so badly need to win, Rhodey, you have no idea." Making a face, half pleading — half sheepish, Tony tilts his head at him, "But ... I kinda need a soldering iron to do it."

"Really?" Tony nods. "Do I _have_ to steal it?"

"Will the school let you take one?"

"Probably not." Sighing, but still smiling at the same time — only Rhodey — Tony's patted on the back; just as the bus comes, "Alright. I'll, er, I'll do my best."

Relief and gratitude colors Tony's voice then, "Thanks man. I really, _really_ owe you one."

"Just be willing to bail me out of prison if they catch me." Is all Rhodey says to that, laughing. Tony waves him off, taking a little breather after all his running, before heaving himself up and running all over again, as fast as he can back home.

“Jarvis!” Tony calls, shrugging his coat off as he goes and quickly finding the elderly servant upstairs, “Jarvis, I need you to do me a favor.”

“Of course.” Jarvis smiles at him, amused at how frazzled he must look, “What can I help you with?”

“Um." It's still so weird to hear someone say that to him and not the other way around, "It's — look, when you’re in the rooms upstairs, if you see any old circuitry or anything metal or electric that isn’t being used anymore, could you bring it to my room?” Tony says in a rush, shuffling from side-to-side to warm himself up, “Please?” He adds when it looks like Jarvis might refuse.

“I’ll hold back the need to ask _why_ shall I?” Is his answer and Tony laughs, hugging him tight in thanks. Always hug Jarvis, is a motto he's lived with. Frigga's great but she's not always around. Jarvis is. “Ooh, careful." Tony laughs again when they sway, "I’m old, remember. You can’t hug me like that anymore.”

Letting him go with a smile, Tony helps him find his balance again, and shakes his head, “Whatever Jarv. Everyone knows you could run in the Olympics if you wanted to.” He's ushered out of the room with a broom, jokingly, and rushes down the stairs, heading for his own one, “You missed!” He calls over his shoulder, vaguely hearing a chuckle follow him on the way down.

His personal statement's wrinkled after being shoved into his bag but it's still readable, thank God and Tony makes quick use of his time without Odin breathing down his neck to hurriedly create a better, typed-out version that can be printed out, kept folded and neatly pressed inside his textbook.

He also makes himself an email too, just in case, and saves the final version on there after sending it to himself. He’s always been pretty knowledgeable when it comes to computers, having to usually be the technician whenever something goes wrong around here so he kinda has to be, but using it so privately gives him an almost rush that he suddenly wants to search things that he usually wouldn’t. Or knows that he _shouldn't_ , really.

It is _Thor’s_ though. So if he does go on a searching spree, then who’s to say it wasn’t the big guy himself? Odin might, but the evidence would suggest otherwise.

Tony's banned from the computer unless it's broken, so who else would suspect him?

It’s tempting. Thor could get into heaps of trouble, especially with his mother. And after all the things that he's done to Tony, it would be completely worth it.

Every day he’s made hell, Tony —

Tony shuts down the computer with a sigh, deleting the history and shoving down his urge for revenge.

Thor’s a bully, yeah. But Tony won’t be that person.

Getting his own back is leaving here and sitting back, relaxing, and knowing that Thor is out here learning how to take care of himself without his servant to do it.

Not tainting his mother's view of him. And who knows. They've all got some growing up to do. Maybe Thor'll finally change anyway.

Tony doesn't need to stop that from happening.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love hearing from you :) ~


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am _so_ sorry for the wait! I've got too many WIPs D:

* * *

 

 

Odin is very clearly frustrated when he comes back from his meeting and, usually, that’s all kinds of bad for Tony as he’s the one that it’s taken out on, but today Odin just locks himself into his study and stays there.

Tony’s already mopped, hoovered and dusted, so right now, he’s a little free from work until the “Master” of the house decides to come back down then, so he stays in his own room as well and starts to draft some ideas.

Which is a lot harder than he'd guessed it would be.

A robot would be too cliche, wouldn’t it? Or. Well — maybe not? If Tony does it right.

He’s always tinkered really, throughout his life stuck here, bored out of his mind at rare times so he'd make things and/or improve others, but this is the _real deal_ and he needs to get it right. Needs to get it _perfect_ , to make an impression.

He needs to make a winner.

Paper among paper is scrunched and shoved into the overflowing bin, torn in so many different ways that no one could ever tell what it was even if they wanted to. And then at last, after almost an hour, he finally - _thankfully_ \- hits on something that he deems good enough and easy enough to make, and it’s then that Jarvis knocks on his door; arms full of wires, cables, and the broken chandelier from the attic.

Huh. He'd almost forgotten about the attic.

“It’s full of all sorts of things, Anthony.” Jarvis informs him with a knowing smile, and after hiding everything, Tony runs upstairs to knock on Odin’s door and let him know that he’s "clearing out the attic", and with the permission he spends almost the entire day looking around in there.

When Loki comes home, Tony has no qualms about dragging him into it, promising to do his homework in return for as long as he wants but Loki doesn’t even seem to mind anyway; surprisingly. The both of them find all sorts of things up there, most of which must have been put in storage straight after Bor’s death.

Memory upon memory piles up inside Tony’s head but he ignores the ache in his heart and focuses more on finding anything up here that he can use. Loki is quiet beside him, looking through things with interest and it's with a slight pang that Tony realizes that all this stuff must be from a grandfather he never knew. He wonders what he's thinking but then, when he starts to lose his focus, tries not to instead.

Besides, he's learnt by now that if Loki wants to talk, he'll say something to start it off himself.

As he looks around, Tony compiles a list in his head of things that he can and can't use, and starts to think on how he can begin on creating his project.

An old electric toy is fifth on the list; it could be useful, in a way. He could take it apart and use the insides, rip anything working out and meld it together with the iron Rhodey gets him. He finds more metal, more circuits, bolts, LMDs and —

And a photo album.

Hm.

Tony pauses in his search, sliding a hand through all of the dust before pausing and checking the time on his watch to make sure that he still has enough for dinner, before carefully - and discretely - opening the leather-bound book for a look. He won't find anything useful, he doesn't know why he's bothering, but the curiosity gets the better of him and he flips through the pages to see what he can find.

The first few pages are as old as the book seems to be, and they're all mostly of Bor. A much younger Bor than Tony remembers. He fingers over the pictures, noting the war uniform and the smiling face.

Flicking through some more, there are then pictures of Odin as a child. Yuck. Tony flicks on and then there are weddings and parties. Frigga, Thor being born, birthdays and —

And an … an adoption.

Oh.

Everything suddenly seems as gray as the picture is and Tony taps a finger along the corner of it, his eyes honing in on the baby in Frigga’s arms; dark-haired and crying as Odin signs papers in the background. It's suddenly clear who it is then, clear that this _isn't_ about Tony's own past, but for some reason that doesn't stop his hands from shaking.

Adopted. He'd had no idea. When -

“I found out about it last Christmas.” Tony jumps, turning around to look at Loki and immediately going to shut the book — feeling as though he’s just intruded on something far too private for him — but Loki’s hand engulfs his and stops the page from being lost, “You weren't there. Father had sent you out to clear the driveway of snow." Well that answers whether Loki knew or not.

Shit.

"God, I'm sorry." Tony starts, "I didn't mean to - "

"My father was a criminal," Loki talks over him, with gritted teeth and a dark look in his eye. Like it hurts to talk and yet he's doing it on his own accord. Tony hasn't asked ... "My real one. My real mother — I don’t know anything about. They were killed when a raid went wrong, by police, and Odin then used me as political bait.” His knuckles are white from how tight his hands are clenched. Tony puts the book down, swallowing past a dry throat.

“Bait?” He asks softly, putting a hand over one of Loki's fists, “What do you mean by that?”

Loki just smiles at him. Bitter. It isn't a nice look on him and Tony would rather this conversation ended now, actually. He shouldn't have questioned him for more. “It was _Odin_ who sent the police after my true parents. The media used it to present him as an evil and heartless figure; as a man who knowingly killed two people and left their child parent-less. His business then had too much negative publicity so, to appease them, he took me in.” Loki lifts his eyes to meet Tony’s and, horrified, Tony notices the moisture within them. He squeezes the fist under his hand. “Which is, really, what I mean when I say that I can trust only you."

Tony blinks, "What?"

Loki's looking at him, directly into his eyes with an unnerving amount of sour rage that it almost scares Tony into moving back, "Thor is too close to his father," He explains, sneering, "And — well. Frigga is married to him." Tony tilts his head, jerking when the hand under his is slipped back, "You, however, are the only truly honest out of all of them. You have no ties here. It keeps you honest.”

A pregnant pause follows that and Tony finds that he can't look away from Tony even if he tried.

“Well." He says, his voice sounding strange even to his own ears, “Someone's gotta be, right? In - in a house _full_ of liars.”

Odin lies about everything and to everyone’s face, keeping important and damaging secrets all to himself. Thor lies to protect his family from bad publicity and to allow Tony to get the blame for some of his own bad deeds. Frigga lies to her husband to allow herself some freedom in life and Loki lies just for the fun of it.

Out of them all, the only who has probably only lied once or twice _for himself_ and not for others, is Tony.

So yeah. Maybe he should officially dub them that.

The House of Liars.

 

* * *

 

 

Loki excuses himself from dinner so Tony comes down alone.

He hasn't the time to go full-out though and despite hoping that Odin won't notice, he knows he will. Damn it. Getting flustered doesn't really help much, so he ignores anything that tries to make him act less-than-composed and tries to create an actual meal that will at least be big enough and edible enough.

Unfortunately, Thor comes downstairs before he even gets something in the oven and just like that, he's whisked away to do something else. So by the time a meal is made, Frigga's been home for almost two hours at least and Tony's in a panic at how angry the man of the house'll be when he is finally called downstairs to eat.

Frigga gets headaches when she's hungry, Tony knows from experience, and Odin doesn't let her down to cook something herself when she's like this. Mainly because the only time dinner is actually late, is because Tony is sick himself and too tired to be able to cook something as quickly as they all like. But is that good enough this time? Maybe not.

Maybe he could fake cough, actually. That might get him into Frigga's pitying line - maybe even enough that she could talk Odin down before he blows. Pft, yeah right. She always pities him, but Odin's sneaky when it comes to punishments and she's hardly home to notice anyway. He'll pay for this, one way or another - sooner or later.

Tony sighs, sucking on his thumb when he burns it a little on the stove but he doesn't drop the pan and eventually gets something on everyone's plates. The little bell in the corner hasn't worked in years but he loves to finger the rope as he passes to call up the stairs; reminding him of when he had been too small to grab it and Bor had had to lift him by the waist to let him fiddle with it and yank it down for a ring.

Thor had knocked it with a bat the first few months of them living here, however, and it had been dented it beyond repair. Odin had declared it old fashioned anyway and hadn't bothered to get it fixed, but that hadn't stopped Tony from trying. He couldn't reach it properly enough to really get at it though. Shame. It'd had such a nice, jingly sound - livened up the whole house sometimes.

He smiles, walking back into the kitchen when he hears doors open from upstairs.

Odin is down first, his face cold and hard. Tony coughs weakly behind a hand as a sort of point, turning his back on him and pretending to stir an empty pan of just oil now but it clearly doesn't work because - "Were you too busy doing something else, or have you forgotten the order you do things in?"

Tony stops himself from defending his actions just in time, "I - got carried away in the attic, sir. Cleaning it out. Didn't seen the time."

"Of course you didn't."

Tony coughs again but this time it's clear that it's fake. He cringes but goes along with it anyway, "And, uh, I think I caught something up there too."

"Then perhaps you should spend the rest of the day in the _basement_ instead; regain some of your health from the chill down there. Less dust than the attic."

Oh. It's sooner, then, rather than later. Right.

Tony doesn't move, chewing on his bottom lip and shutting his eyes. It's a taunt, he knows. A taunt he's not heard in a while but he still _hates_ that it's used.

The basement. Fuck everything.

"Let him eat, first, Odin." Frigga murmurs from the doorway, a hand to her head and a glass of water in one hand. "Mistakes are to be made by everyone, he's only a - "

"He will eat when he finishes what I told him to do." Odin snaps, clearly not in a listening mood at all today; he'd already been stressed from the meeting before, "He has slacked the whole day, I've noticed. A little bit of work won't hurt."

Tony clenches a fist over the pan's handle, trying to hide it from both their view. He can't risk trying to subtly get Frigga on his side on this, it'll be too obvious, but he almost doesn't stop himself from blurting out a defense anyway. His only bit of hope - that competition - has made him far too bold now and if he's not careful he'll ruin this for himself before he even gets a chance.

"It's fine." He assures Frigga, turning around slowly and smiling at her, before reaching into the cupboard under the sink to pull out the dustpan and brush and a black bag to put all of the muck he'll find in. "Really. I'll - eat after."

She doesn't answer but the look she gives Odin makes it clear that she's going to have words with him after this.

Tony hopes that doesn't affect him either because, while he appreciates her doing that, he doesn't appreciate that Odin gets angry at _him_ for it more.

He walks past Thor when he passes the stairs to the basement and cringes when he's called after in a harsh tease, "In the basement today, Anthony?" Thor follows him to the door, "Don't get lost in the woods again, will you? Winter is just as bad as Autumn, in case you have not noticed." _Get lost_.

Tony blinks twice, ignoring him, but he can't help but jump when the door is slammed by Thor's boot behind him; leaving him alone with just the darkness and the stairs. Right. He turns the light on, flicking the switch and stepping down each step slowly as it buzzes above him, biting his tongue at every creak.

It isn't the basement itself that affects him, per say. It's not creepy in any way at all; it's cozy in fact, rather nice to sit in. It's just the memories that come with it that send him into the begins of a panic attack just looking into it. University hasn't always been the only ticket that Tony has had out of this place.

He had once tried the basement too. Had once been crying under his bed after Odin had screamed in his face for a little mistake, and had once sketched out plans to leave this family and to run away to somewhere new. To find another set of parents and a family that appreciated him.

He had been twelve then; just going through puberty and left in the dark whenever he asked about something to do with his body. He refused to talk to Thor about it and Odin only told him that it was disgusting that he'd asked and that he should just ignore it. I t had only been when Loki had snuck into his room afterward, late at night, and had spoken to him about all sorts of stuff that his school had taught him in a 'sex education' class.

Odin had told Loki to never ask him as well, he'd said, and Tony hadn't ever been so grateful for anything more than that one night of comfort and information. He had even told Loki about his plan to leave in return and he'd probably be dead right now if he hadn't.

He had planned the 'escape' for weeks before he'd actually carried it out. He had packed, gotten some food, and it had been autumn when he had finally decided to brave it. All he needed was to make Odin angry enough to punish him, as he always did. When he had been younger, Odin had always used to lock him down here whenever he'd done something especially bad - like hitting Thor in return for a punch that he'd gotten himself - and he'd hated it so much.

Now he's older he knows the basement isn't as bad as his imagination had made him think it was, but back then it had terrified him. It had been dark and he'd been too small to reach for the light switch and every shadow and creak had made him scream. But when Odin had locked him in here the day he'd planned to leave, he'd ignored everything that he was scared of and had flown into action straight away.

He had found the broken and blackened window in the corner, had clambered out of it and had run toward the forest that loomed just past the manor's gates. He'd not stopped running for a while; away from the town, away from the people. Away from anyone who might recognize him and take him back to that hell.

He hadn't anticipated the _cold_ though. The wind, and the animals, and the leaves that scratched at his face as he walked; the twigs that tripped him up and made his knees bleed. He'd been shivering and crying and soaked to his skin from a downpour of rain by the time a torch had shined in his face and a huge man in grey uniform had lifted him into his arms.

Loki had apparently told the police that he'd seen him 'get lost in the woods' when he'd noticed him missing before anyone else. He'd saved Tony's life, the doctor's told him afterward, as he'd eventually recovered from the infections that his cuts had gained from mixing with mud and the frostbite that his fingers had almost gotten out in that blizzard. Loki had been his only regular visitor too, along with Pepper, Rhodey and Frigga who came to see him some other times as well.

Social services had also seen him, and had asked Tony what had happened.

He'd been so tempted to say the truth. So tempted.

But, after thinking hard about it for all those days, lying in a hospital bed and listening to Loki read from the most boring book in history, he had told them that Loki had told the truth and that he had only gotten lost. That he most definitely hadn't been running away.

Because. If he _had_ told them that day, then maybe he _would_ be free of them. But Frigga would then be husband-less. Would be poor and worked off her feet, unable to volunteer as she so loves to. Jarvis would be out of a job too. Thor and Loki would be in care, and so would he.

It hadn't been much choice really, he couldn't do that to them.

So now. MIT is the only way out for him. He has to make it.

 

* * *

 

 

The basement is quiet compared to how loud it had always seemed in his childhood.

He hasn't been down here since his escape attempt, actually, and he still remembers the shouting fit that he had had when he'd told Rhodey and Pepper to just _leave it_ and to let him find his own way out, whenever they had pestered about telling officials about his treatment.

He had argued that Odin had never 'beaten' him so there was really nothing to tell that anyone would really care about, but when they had countered that it _did_ still matter, he had told him his own personal explanations why. About what he would do to that family if he did.

It was only really Odin who was the issue anyway. Thor was a bully, yeah, and Loki was a dick, but they'd grow up eventually. Odin was the real monster, so why should Tony punish the entire family?

But he had just been called soft for that, and too easily swayed by a few favors and good-looks [he'd ignored that completely], which had annoyed him enough to not talk to them both for a few days afterward until they'd then promised to leave the topic alone - but only if Tony promised to ask for help if he ever needed it, in return.

Obnoxiously, he had then used that promise to ask for the most ridiculous things just to irritate them, but they had stuck by and done as asked which had then made him feel awful about himself so he'd started to learn how to knit instead, to make some little bits-and-bobs for birthday gifts in apology; which is what he has done since, really. Scarves, hats, gloves, a joke-dick-warmer for Rhodey that had been thrown at his head.

A rat scuttles past his ear on one of the shelves and he jerks back, blinking out of memories to continue on downstairs with the dustpan. He bends and begins to scoop up the dust and animal droppings on the floor, wrinkling his nose at the dirt and musky smell that always seems to fill up around down here. Moths flutter up when he disturbs them and he sweeps up those that have died already, sighing when he realizes that this is going to take forever. And he's actually hungry as well.

The thought of Odin leaving him be after this is comforting though, because he will - as he usually does so Frigga won't think he's being too 'hard' on him - and then he can work on his project some more in peace. Hopefully. He thought he'd had time, but now, with all these jobs and orders, it doesn't look like this will go in his favor. Gripping the handle of the brush tighter, he shakes his head to stop himself from thinking like that and frowns at himself, sweeping faster and flinching past spiderwebs determinedly.

By the time he finishes, it's dark, and though that's only because it's winter it's still a blow because that means he'll have to work under his lamp's light; which isn't much considering it's broken. Ugh.

He puts the black bag outside the door, locks it up, and heads over to the kitchen to wash up and make himself something quick to eat as well. He finds some brown bread [luckily really - he's the only one in this house that prefers that to white, so it's rare he's able to get it] and some cheese. He eats the little sandwich he has while putting the now-washed cutlery and plates away, keeping it in his mouth mostly, which is why his scream is muffled when he turns and sees a figure standing there and watching him. Taking a bite, he puts the sandwich down, swallows quickly, and glaring, "What the _hell_ is your problem? Do you always have to snea - ?" Loki puts a finger to his lips urgently, shaking his head, so Tony stops - listening out for Odin's footsteps. He hears voices upstairs instead, Frigga and Odin - arguing by the sound of it. "What is it?"

"Thor is failing his classes." Loki murmurs, walking inside and looking in the fridge for something. Oh yeah. He'd skipped dinner too; voluntarily in his case, but whatever. He's allowed to.

"Do you want something?" Tony automatically asks and Loki gives him a strange look, "S'far as I know you're shit at cooking." Loki straightens, taking out a yogurt and peeling off the top with his teeth, spitting it out into the bin. Tony raises an eyebrow, but he's used to this now. Used to Loki acting all refined around his parents before coming out as the actual immature, prankster he is when alone or with Tony.

"I can handle myself in the kitchen."

"Remind me of that next time you burn some pancakes." Before Loki can retort, Tony turns the conversation back, "What classes is he failing in?"

"Most." Loki mutters, scooping the yogurt out with a finger when he can't be bothered to move and find a spoon. "English mainly. His teacher doesn't believe him 'creative' enough."

Tony smiles, "Luckily you have _so_ much experience in making up scenarios on the spot, you don't have that problem." Loki doesn't react to the jibe other than giving a small, smug grin, before returning to his yogurt. "So who is Odin angry at? The teacher's or Frigga for letting him slack?"

Loki raises an eyebrow, faux-surprised, "Not Thor himself?" He asks, putting a hand on his heart.

Tony snorts, "As _if_. Don't make me la - " A particularly loud stomp of footsteps on the stairs makes them both freeze and Tony spins around, shoving the rest of his sandwich down his throat, grabbing the rest of the bread and putting it into the toaster quickly. Loki doesn't do much besides grab a spoon and clean his finger off discretely before Odin steps inside.

"Loki." He ignores Tony, turning to his son, "I thought I told you to sit with Thor and help him with his 'creativity', as you seem so versed in it yourself."

Help with creativity? Um.

"And I told you, father. You cannot 'teach' someone creativity. They either have it or they don't." Tony resolutely doesn't look at either of them when they turn toward him at the sound of the toast popping up, and he just puts it in a plate, looks for some jam, and gives it to Loki to spread himself. "And besides, he does not want my help. He told me to leave." Odin huffs but says nothing else.

"Anthony." Tony cringes, turning to him, "The basement is clean?" Loki snaps his head up at that, his mouth full of a bite of toast that he chews slowly; staring at Tony.

Tony nods, "The bag's outside for the bin-men tomorrow. I was just - cleaning the kitchen before I go upstairs."

"Very well. Then, as Thor is having difficulty, you will be in his room tonight to clean it completely as he studies." Tony refrains from commenting that Thor will definitely _not_ study if he's in the room but unfortunately, Loki's in a certain mood today.

"Wait a bit. Why is Thor's stupidity now suddenly Tony's fault?"

The kitchen suddenly has the air of a ticking time-bomb and Tony really wants to try to sneak past but Odin's right in the way, "I don't believe I even implied that. And do _not_ talk about your brother that way Loki, creativity is not exactly a necessary skill to have. Unlike the many that _he_ does possess that _you_ do not."

Wow okay. Harsh. And, um, _actually_. Creativeness is a _very_ necessary skill in life.

Loki's face is hard but he doesn't look at all swayed by the insult, "If you really think that Thor will benefit from having a clean room whilst studying, then tell him to study in the _studying_ room. Which is where you ensure that _I_ do. Unless, it's only members of your _family_ that are allowed to study where they like, whereas I must study somewhere else?" It's the first time Tony's heard Loki mention anything to do with his adoption to Odin and he's doing it in front of Tony.

He must have done it before, probably, and likely doesn't care to hide it now that he knows Tony is aware of the truth. "Is that it, then? Or not?"

Tony glances between them, feeling the tension rise, and he hates it when this happens. Whenever he's angry, Odin always gives him some stupid job to do when he's supposed to be left alone, but lately it seems like he's been starting on at Loki too; like he's to blame. Which, ultimately, had been Loki's argument before when he'd gone into his room the other night, but - he's only really getting that it's true _now_ , so yeah. Sue him.

"And anyway," Loki continues, eating more of his yogurt instead of the toast, "You said last week that Tony will be my partner when testing me." Liar. "How can he do that if he is too busy cleaning? Do you really want two people failing under this house?"

Odin looks absolutely furious. Tony clenches his hands, biting down on his lip and ducking his gaze when Odin turns to him. "Very well, then." He says softly. Too softly. Soft in a way that means Tony's going to get it later for some reason or other that Odin'll think of later. Perfect. But, looking at him now, it looks like Loki will get it too maybe. Hm. Well at least someone else is sharing the treatment now, then.

Odin leaves after another moment of tense silence and Loki slumps as soon as he's gone; scowling down at his plate.

Tony sucks in a breath, listening out for his footsteps, so when he finally hears Odin's bedroom door shut, he runs a hand through his hair and looks at Loki. He's still scowling.

Stepping toward him, Tony lightly punches his arm, "Thanks." He whispers meaningfully, smiling. Loki looks at him. Tony widens his smile, trying to get him to return it, but Loki just takes a hold of his left hand, lifts it, and puts the empty yogurt pot onto Tony's palm before walking away. Tony huffs out a short laugh, staring after him.

'You're welcome', he guesses, putting the pot into the bin.

 

* * *

 

 

He's running out of time.

That's all that goes through his mind nowadays. He's running. Out of _time_.

He thought he had loads, he thought he could do this!

When Rhodey had gotten the soldering iron for him he'd been ecstatic and had gotten to work on his design immediately; thanking Jarvis whenever the old man had found something of use for him in some of the rooms. He'd fixed circuits, taken whatever he could smuggle out of the attic and had literally found his very own box of scraps to use if he needed; hidden in Loki's room for practicality. The only issue really are the jobs that he's been given.

The list seems to get longer every single day and it's almost like Odin just _knows_ how much this means to him and is determined to make sure that Tony that never makes it out of here. He knows that that's ridiculous though, and that Odin doesn't know - that he _can't_ know - but it doesn't stop paranoia from setting in and making him freak out at every question asked and every list presented.

The only good thing that seems to keep arising during this, however, is that despite the fact that Odin is bent on working Tony off his feet, he's still been making good progress and that's actually only because of Loki's help. And, okay, _maybe_ it's only guilt related. Maybe. But some part of Tony hopes that he's actually just being nice; you know, caring about Tony just as much as Tony does him.

It's a lot to hope for but he can't help thinking it.

Especially when Loki is so careful on his behalf, making sure Odin doesn't catch him in his room, slipping equipment in from his school, things like that. Rhodey's been giving Tony looks too, whenever he's been shopping for groceries, raising a teasing eyebrow that is usually coolly ignored, and mouthing about how he's seen Loki smuggling stuff out of his classes for him. They both go to different schools and yet, obviously, collide more often than not so Rhodey sometimes tells Tony what he sees Loki doing outside of the house and school.

Not. That he asks or anything, Rhodey just always wants to tell him, that's all. Totally not Tony's idea to spy.

Apparently, anyway, Loki skips a lot of classes, according to Rhodey - who also is also an occasion bunker so he'd know. Honestly, they _have_ the opportunity to go to school and they _skip_. The ingrates.

But, apparently, Loki has also been _buying_ things to help Tony with and that's so helpful and - sweet? - of him, that Tony almost wants to thank him but can't because, hey, how does he explain how he knows? But it really does help because Tony can't find _everything_ in this house and thanks to Loki's efforts the project is taking shape. Tony just needs more time to do the making side of things while Loki does the buying and finding and hiding.

Thursday is coming up fast though, only two more days, and depression is starting to sink in at the realization that there is no way he's going to get this finished. And, if he doesn't, how can he impress judges with something incomplete? The robot doesn't even _move_ yet. It's just a bit of junk.

Tony's written out the sequences and he knows what it is he needs to do, he just needs the time. But unfortunately, time is something he just doesn't seem to be able to get much of nowadays. Fate hates him, clearly, and that just depresses him even more.

He's just finishing the Christmas lights in the living space, hurriedly jumping off of the stool he needs to reach the door frame, and almost running toward the stairs when he very nearly collides right into Odin. "Oh - ! Sorry, I was just - "

"You seem to always be in such a rush these days, Anthony. Somewhere to be?"

Tony pauses, looking at him, and suddenly wishes he was as good a liar as Loki is, "No. I - I'm just hoping to finish everything you want me to so I can start on something for myself. For Christmas. I'm knitting presents for some people in town." That's good. He can work with that.

Odin narrows his eyes but doesn't comment and moves past to let Tony go up the stairs. Tony does so, slower this time, and deliberately doesn't look over his shoulder to see if he's looking at him go. He's got the outside of bedrooms to do and then he's done for the day. Hopefully _these_ lights actually work and he doesn't have to spend ages fixing them.

The lights are all Frigga's idea but she'd planned to do them herself. Odin had thought it would be a nice surprise and a good apology for how he'd shouted at her before, if she came home to see them already up so, naturally, he'd told Tony to hurry up and get to it.

He grabs the empty, metal bin from Loki's room and overturns it to stand on as he fixes lights on Thor's door. He's just testing to see if they work when something thuds against the door and he loses his balance, falling backward hard and hitting his back on the umbrella stand.

It hurts, really hurts, and he cries out at the bruise he feels coming up almost straight away. Another thud and then silence.

Tony stares at the door, white hot anger overflowing everything and he stands with a wince, clenching his fists.

That is _it_.

Kicking the door open, he shoves the bin out of the way and storms inside, intent on trying his best on taking Thor in a fight because he's _sick_ of this and he doesn't care about the consequences right now or - Thor is sitting on the edge of his bed, his head in his hands, and books piled around him; two of which are against the door - having clearly been what he had just thrown toward it. When he hears Tony step inside, however, he looks up; glaring, "Did I say you could enter my room? Get out."

Tony doesn't move. The anger bleeds out and he sighs, looking at him.

"Are you deaf? I _said_ \- "

"Is it only English you're really failing in?" Tony interrupts, keeping his tone neutral so as to remove anything Thor could interpret as him taunting him. "Or is there anything else?"

"What do you care? I told you to leave."

Tony still doesn't leave and, instead, he shuts the door behind him and picks Thor's books up from the floor, "There's a book in the local Library on fiction-writing you know. And the internet is really helpful in finding things to prompt you." Thor narrows his eyes but doesn't say anything, "Novel-reading could also really help you and I know you don't like to read but some of them you might even enjoy. 'Frankenstein' is definitely something you'd love, if you ever gave it a shot." He lays the books down on the bed, turning away, "I have a few books too, if you don't want to go looking. Just ask."

Thor still doesn't say anything so Tony leaves after a bit of an awkward silence, closing the door after him and moving Loki's bin back. He starts putting the rest of the lights up, ignoring the feeling of both happiness and anger at what he has just done. Happiness that despite living with this family for so many years, he still has some of his own morals inside, and anger that he had even _tried_ to help Thor. Someone who's made his life hell for years.

He ignores it all though and finishes soon enough, taking his project from Loki's room and hiding it under some dirty clothes to put in his own room for now. Under his bed is getting a little crowded now and, though Odin is less than likely to go prowling around in his room, he's going to have to be more careful with how he hides things. His bag it too full too, however, and he's running out of the limited amount of space he has.

Thursday is just two days away, though. He just has to keep it hidden until then. He can do that. Easy.

 

* * *

 

 

 

It's Wednesday. It's Wednesday and Tony has just finished the circuitry of his robot.

It now spins, walks and obeys commands, with something new to say each time, "Hey there." "How are you feeling today?" "Get your drink yourself, you lazy ****". Yeah, maybe he'll get rid of that one. But it works!

"And that is how I knew it was you who first fixed the television." Loki murmurs from the doorway, smiling.

Tony smiles back, dramatically presenting his creation, "What do you think? Good enough for MIT judges?"

Loki just shrugs, coming inside and helping Tony hide it away just in case, "We'll have to see, won't we. Tomorrow."

Tomorrow. Jesus, he's so nervous. He needs this to work, this is everything to him right now.

"Thank you." Tony then says, seriously, "I know I keep saying it, but I really mean it. So much. I could never have done this without you." Loki looks down for a moment and shrugs again, looking toward the door at the sound of footsteps. Odin isn't here so they're in the clear for now but Thor's a tell-tale, so - he still has to go soon anyway. "Now all I need is a suit." He says with a grin, looking at the floor where Bor's old one lies. He's not had any time to edit it, he'll spend the night doing that probably and then tomorrow afternoon, they're off to MIT for the function.

Wow. It's finally here.

A companiable silence envelops them both and Tony hums, leaning back, "Do you ever think about your real parents?" He suddenly asks, genuinely having been curious about it all since he'd found out. Loki looks at him. "Sorry. I know it's probably not a topic you'd want to talk about but, I figured, if you've never spoken about it with me then do you just bottle it all up?" There's a clap of thunder outside and rain begins to pour. It lowers the mood even more, unsurprisingly, so he quickly tries to lighten the mood before Loki takes this the wrong way; putting on a false cockney accent as an old joke of theirs, "'Cause that's not healthy, Loki, you know that."

It draws a short chuckle and then a sigh when Loki realizes he's been tricked into relaxing, "No." He mutters then, "I don't think of them. I don't see the point, really. Who were they to me?" Your _parents_ , Tony wants to urge, criminals or not, but he doesn't. "And you?"

He starts, "Me?"

"Do you think of them? Your parents? Your life before we took you in?"

"I don't remember my life before you took me in." Tony reminds him, his heart aching at that. As a child he had used to imagine a loving family out there looking for him, but then Odin's words had squashed that hope.

 

_Your parents abandoned you child._

"I don't remember anything. Just - flashes. A drive, a river. Your grandfather feeding me soup." He chews on his lip, "But I do think about it, yeah. Every day, I wonder. Wonder who I was, who I could have been if they hadn't left me here. What I could have done that was so bad they wouldn't want me anymore." He sighs, hunching over himself, before jerking back when Loki's hand finds his shoulder.

He relaxes into it then, leaning closer, and shutting his eyes to the sound of the rain, "I'm sorry I've been so awful to you sometimes." It's not exactly neccessary for him to say that which makes it all the more needed really.

"Try a lot of the time."

"Don't ruin the mood." Tony laughs softly, against him, looking up to raise an eyebrow, and their faces are suddenly very close. Loki's lashes are low, he's looking down at Tony, one arm wrapped around him, and he pulls him closer in a half hug.

Tony's heart thuds in his chest; this is nothing like any of the other times he and Loki have sat beside each other over his life, and that's not just his stupid crush talking. A wordless conversation occurs between their eyes and they stare at each other; a little lost in what to do now that they're so close.

And then Loki leans closer. Tony's eyes flutter shut, his hand creeping up Loki's shirt to clutch at his collar and -

The door opens.

Loki immediately reaches for Tony's bag, causing Tony to topple backward, and he lets out a lie straight away, "If you have my textbooks at least tell me so I don't have to waste time looking for them." Tony just blinks, lying on his back on the bed as Loki pretends to search through his now empty-of-scraps bag, so he doesn't actually see who it is at the door until Loki says so, "What do you want Thor? The bathroom is upstairs."

"Hey." Tony protests the implication, sitting up and pushing Loki away. His cheeks are hot but he hopes that's just from embarrassment and not just from how Loki can affect him. Thor's standing in the doorway, unable to actually fit inside with his bulk of a body, but he's looking at Tony anyway; clearly waiting for Loki to leave.

Eventually, probably purposefully, Loki 'gets the hint' and stands with a groan, rubbing at his face and glaring at Tony, "Find my textbook." He orders, "I'm coming back later to check you have." Tony just rolls his eyes, not even bothering to go along with it when it's clear Thor's not even paying much attention anyway. It's not like he's Odin. "Move." Loki tells Thor and he gets a shove for that but parries it and moves past, dodging an answering blow before heading over for the kitchen.

When he's gone, Thor turns his glare to Tony. "I haven't done anything to your room." Tony says immediately, used to the accusations thrown at him every day, but instead of that, Thor says: "The novel. Frankenstein. ... Do you - do you have it?" Tony straightens, looking at him, "I need it."

"Say please." He can't help himself.

Thor clenches a fist but sighs, running a hand through his hair. "Please. My - father will not allow me to see the Christmas ball at school if I do not pick my English grade up and - there is a girl I - "he stops, gritting his teeth. Oh, okay. So Odin actually has decided to punish Thor for once. It's not much considering, but it's something. He also has a crush too. Interesting. "So please."

"Sure." Tony lifts the first two books on his table, by his lamp, up and takes Frankenstein from the bottom, handing it to him, "Take care of it, it's my favorite. You'll love it though, it's right up your alley." Thor takes it with both hands, a little dubiously, and turns it to read the blurb. "And hey, check out sparknotes.com for your poetry. I found that on a friend's phone and it's really helpful for English, trust me."

"Why are you being kind to me?"

"Why not." Tony shrugs and grins, "Now, if you don't mind, I've got dinner to make."

Thor moves out of his way quickly and doesn't even comment or push him at all. That in itself lifts Tony's spirits so much that he doesn't even try and focus on what that almost kiss-thing with Loki had been. He doesn't really want to think about it, quite frankly, because he doesn't want to give himself hope. Loki's always been a bit of a prick when it comes to teasing and who knows, maybe he knows about Tony's crush and -

No. He shouldn't try and think the worst about him now. Not after everything he's done for him recently.

Speaking of, Loki is in the kitchen when Tony comes inside and he doesn't notice him at first. He's making pancakes, for some reason, at 5pm in the winter and it takes a moment for Tony to realize why, and when he does he has to laugh. Loki ends up burning them again, anyway.

And that just makes it funnier.

 

* * *

 

 

Tony spends have the night sewing and repairing the old suit of Bor's.

He hasn't the time nor the material to make it look more modern so, unfortunately, this is going to have to do. It's not so bad though. At least he has one. He's cheery when he wakes anyway, despite being so exhausted, and that cheeriness doesn't stop even when Odin grates at him for being slow with breakfast and yawning too much. Because it's Thursday. The day has come. He can barely hold in his excitement and nervousness.

God, this is it.

He has a few duties to do in the morning before they have to leave, and though it's really supposed to be his day off, he doesn't comment. It's only a few anyway. When he finishes, he heads to the town and shares his excitement with Pepper, telling her everything as he's not been able to see her as often recently, and to his annoyance she spends more time commenting on Loki and him than on him and his project.  
Luckily he doesn't mention the almost-kiss, he'd have between there for hours otherwise.

He misses Rhodey, unfortunately, but on the way past the bus stop he sees a post-stick note sticking to the plastic cover of the shelter.

 

**_"Good luck Tony! - Rhodes."_ **

****

He can't help but smile, grinning even, and he wishes a Merry Christmas to every random stranger he passes on the way back to the manor.

Frigga is in a good mood too - doing her hair in the downstairs mirror and testing out some flashing mistletoe earrings she'd brought the other day.

"Cool." Tony comments with a smile as he passes, "Are you going to wear them to MIT?"

She beams at him, "Mm. Perhaps. They aren't very formal, though, I may simply save them for us at home here instead."

"They might distract the judges." Tony agrees, making her laugh, and then she shoos him away to 'get ready quickly, Odin won't wait if you're late getting dressed'.

He does as asked, humming to himself, and moving out of the way when Thor comes downstairs with two suits in hand, asking his mother which of them had been the one she had referred to. Loki's probably already ready, upstairs somewhere, and Tony really doesn't want to be last so he hurries a little to his room. Odin hasn't been down yet, he thinks, so -

The door to his room is open. He's sure he'd closed it before.

For a second, he doesn't know what to do, doesn't know how to react, and isn't sure whether he's just being paranoid or not but as soon as he steps inside he wishes he hasn't. His bag is open; his books, his personal statement, his reports, essays, thesis's and schematics for the robot.

Odin has them all.

No. No, no, no, no. God no. Not now. Not _today_.

"So this is why you hurry off all of the time."

Tony stares, struggling to swallow, but he can't bring up any words. This is literally his worst nightmare. "I - "

"How dare you." Odin murmurs softly, looking down at the letter Tony had once written a while back; planned to send to an abuse-group for help before changing his mind. "We took you in, _I_ took you in, when your parents abandoned you and this is how you show me gratitude? An abuse-group?" He takes a step toward him and Tony jerks back, "Have I ever beaten you before, Anthony? Hm? Why would you write this? Tell me."

"You've locked me in the basement before." He ends up whispering, and Odin's lips curl to the side in a bitter sneer.

"Hm. Well then, I suppose _this_ is all true, then. Is it?" He gestures to the letter before, without warning, suddenly ripping it in half. Tony flinches at the sound. "Perhaps I should be grateful to you then, for all that you have done." No. No, no. Please not today. Why did he have to find out _today_? "Perhaps I should not have given you food, given you a room, and a place to stay. Would you have written the letter _then_?"

Another rip, and he's getting angrier. Oh God, this is bad. This is all so bad.

"I was never going to send it, I pr - "

"Silence!" Odin shouts, tearing the letter to shreds completely in his hands. Tony plasters himself against the door, feeling it click shut behind him. "If this is gratitude, Anthony. If _this_ is how you believe you show it, then _this_ \- " He lifts Tony's thesis on quantum physics up, bracing his hands, "Is how I will show mine."

"No - " Odin tears the paper, destroying it, before turning to the rest, "No, please. Please, I'm sorry! Please don't, that's all I have, it's just my _work_ \- !" Odin rips the handle of the bag with how fast he pulls the textbook out and then that's just pulled apart as well. " _Stop it_! Are you crazy, God - ?!" Tony presses a hand to his mouth and a knock at the door startles him into crying out.

"Odin?" Frigga calls, "Odin, what - ?"

"Wait in the car." Odin says forcefully, and there's a long pause before she finally goes. Tony abandons all sense, however, and tries to go after her before he hears the clank of something that sounds alarmingly like metal.

Oh no.

"Odin - "

Odin stares at the robot, his face flushed form the anger he seems to think is so righteous in his own mind.

Tony can't breathe properly.

Oh God, please, don't.

"I see then. So that is why you wish to come to the University. To overshadow us, to bring to light your 'treatment'. How long have you been speaking to the media, telling them of my ex - "

"What? I haven't done anything like that, I - ! I just want to go to _University_! I just want - "

"I tire of lies, Anthony," Odin lifts the remains of the hard-copy textbook, aiming.

"No! Please, this isn't _fair_! Please! I'm not lying, it wasn't _me!_ Odin! God, all my _life_ I've worked for you, _please_ just let me _have this - !_ " Odin slams the book down.

The metal on the robot isn't exactly strong, it's just from every day things in the house, so there's already a dent from just _one_ blow. God - Tony's breath catches in his throat and his eyes sting.

 _No_. "Odin -"

The book slams down again and Odin's eyes are dark, his mouth pressed into a hard line, and he looks cold. Meticulous. As though he's carrying out something he believes is necessary and is so detached he doesn't care what it is he's destroying.

Tony can't watch it himself, not like this. This is what he's waited for for years, it's _everything_. He lunges forward and grabs for the book, grappling with it, " _Stop!_ \- !"

Odin pulls back but Tony won't let go, "You - have never known your place, you ungrateful, miserable little child! If this is what it takes to teach you respect, then so be - " Tony shoves him back with a shout and in return, Odin lashes out with the book in reflex.

It hits Tony's cheek, knocking his head to one side in a blur of pain and he falls against the wall, flinching when almost immediately, Odin swipes at the robot and sends it crashing into the wall. It shatters into bits of metal and bolts.

Tony stares at it, a hand to his cheek. His eyes are wide, his chest heaving, and he doesn't even bother to stop the sob of shock that comes out of his open mouth.

_No ..._

Odin straightens from where he is, dropping the book onto the bed that's now a mess of paper and wires. Tony's suit is then torn as well, as a last message of anger, before everything clearly clicks back into place for him.

The room is a complete mess. Everything Tony has. _Everything -_ even his novels - are all destroyed. His chest hurts from the sobs that he keeps repressed so he lets them out, uncaring right now; given up.

Odin looks at him from where he stands and he sighs, looking down with a low hum, before walking toward the door. He manages to squeeze out as he must have before, and doesn't even glance back.

Tony puts his head in his hands and openly sobs, his shoulders shaking and his cheek throbbing.

"Clean this room before we get back." Is the last order before Tony is left alone.

The door shuts and he moves his hands from his face, staring at a spot on the wall and letting out eighteen years worth of tears until his crying echoes in the room. He hears the car start after a few minutes, hears it pull away. Without him. He doesn't think his heart has ever hurt so much.

 

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any typos :(


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am an awful, awful, awful person who should not write fics because they take forever :/
> 
> This fic was written completely and just needed posting but, unfortunately, it decided to delete itself >:(
> 
> So I'm so sorry for the wait!!

.

Everything hurts.

He can't even breathe properly with how fast and heavy he's hyperventilating and his throat aches from every sob that forces it's way past. Tears clog, dry and wet on his face all at once, and he can't stop the shaking of every single limb - on the floor of his room.

They're gone. It's all gone. Everything.

He has _nothing_ left.

That realization sends another bout of fresh sobbing that he can't stop. He's never cried, not since the last time he'd been locked in the basement years ago, and now everything that's been bottled and repressed is surging out into his hands and he can't _stop_ it.

"It's not fair." He whispers to himself, hiccuping and stuttering behind chattering teeth. "It's not - fair ... "

He doesn't know how long he spends like that.

He doesn't move, can't make himself move, and he's shaking too badly to even balance properly that he just slumps against the wall. All he knows now is that he's alone, which is really why he starts so badly when the hand over his bruised cheek is lightly touched. His other is then taken as well and moved aside and Loki's there. There. Right there. Looking at him and kneeling across from him on the floor.

Tony stares at him. He ... hadn't gone. He's still here. Why?

He can't help with how that seems to make him want to cry harder but Loki just looks down at that, his hands still over Tony's, "I've never - never seen him so angry - he - I couldn't - "

"Shh." Loki leans closer, tugging on his sleeve and wiping Tony's tears for him. Tony pulls away, turning his face to the side, because while this is one of the most awful things to happen right now, he still has some pride. "I'm sorry. If I'd have come inside, it - I would have made it much worse for you."

He doesn't care. None of that matters now because - "He's ruined - _everything_. He - He's - "

Loki looks pained as he stares at him, watching Tony's chest hitch with every breath, and he wordless offers his sleeve again. Tony lets him this time and his face is soon dry, but the hiccuping just doesn't stop. He feels both drained and mortified.

"No.” Loki then says softly, clearing his throat as he glances away for a second before looking at Tony as though steeling himself for something. Tony looks at him, frowning slightly.

”No what?”

“I - " He stops again, breathing in slowly, "He. He has not ruined … _everything_. Not exactly."

Tony pauses, gently rubbing at the bruise on his cheek, and blinking any excess tears away, "... what d'you mean?" He sounds miserable, even to his own ears. Loki doesn't say anything though; he just looks so ashamed that Tony's suddenly sure he doesn't really want to hear what he even has to say. "Loki? What d'you _mean_?"

There's a long moment of silence where Loki just looks almost everywhere but Tony, pressing his lips together and breathing loudly. Whenever he's been caught out in a lie or a scheme, he's never looked ashamed. Not ever. He's always just looked sort of _smug_. So whatever this is, it's - "What did you do? _Tell_ me."

Taking a breath, Loki finally meets his gaze, pressing his lips together, "I ... " He sighs, shutting his eyes slowly, before blurting it out as though it hurts him to say it, "I never told Professor Banner that the work was yours. I lied."

It's a testament to how numb with shock that Tony still is, that he doesn't even feel anything at that confession, "Oh." He blinks slowly, "So you - did trick me then. Into making you a project." It's funny. He really doesn't care right now.

"No, not _me_ , I - listen. It was not meant to be like this. I promise."

"You _promise_ \- ?"

"Odin wasn't meant to find out like this. I - he wasn't meant to _hurt_ you - "

" _Like_ this?" Tony sits up straighter, yanking his hands out of Loki's, "You were planning on telling him anyway?!"

Loki looks conflicted, blinking several times and chewing on the inside of his cheeks until they look hollow, "I had to."

Tony jerks an arm out to point at the remains of his project, "Well look at the _fucking_ result!"

"That's - no." Loki grimaces, admitting more; shamefaced and contrite for once in his life, "I - I swapped your robot with one of mine. He hasn't destroyed yours. This one is - only metal. It does nothing."

Tony stares at him, mouth open, "So you wanted to _humiliate_ me instead?

" _No_. That is not what this is - "

"Then why do _this_? I don't get it! Why make me go through all this, give me all this hope, when you're only going to take all of the credit anyway and - !"

"This is _not_ about the project!"

"Then _what_? Why do you _hate_ me so much?! What did I ever _do_ to yo - ?"

Loki grabs him by the shoulders, "I do not want you to _go_!" Tony freezes, "I - " He looks down, gritting his teeth, "I won't - I cannot live in this house, if you're gone. I - I don't want you to leave."

Loki's breathing is suddenly the only sound in the room. Tony's seems to have stopped.

And then - "You're lying."

"Yes, well. I wish I were." Loki scoffs, looking away, and closing his eyes, "I. You're all I have Tony. ... I cannot let you go."

Tony jerks back, angrily, "All you - _what_? Fuck you. You have Thor. Frigga - "

"They are not my real _family_."

"Neither am _I_! But here you are, apparently wanting _me_ around and why else would you even car -" Loki swallows, glancing down, and everything is suddenly both too clear and hazy all at the same time. "... oh."

It's a long moment before any of them speak and then Loki moves back, running a hand through his hair, "Not exactly how I wanted to say it."

"Oh."

"Mm."

"Right." Tony blinks, leaning back against the wall, before snapping out of it, "You - um." He clears his throat, pushing it back and grabbing onto the anger he'd had just a second ago, "Where's my project?"

Loki blinks, clearly expecting him to say something else, "It's - in my room. Hidden."

"And what were you going to do with it?"

Loki gives him a look, "Sleep with it at night." He says dryly. Tony slowly moves his shoulders out of Loki's grip, looking at him dully; wordlessly telling him how 'not in the mood' he is right now. Loki sighs, apologetic for once in his life, "I'm sorry." He reaches out, touching the bruise, "It really wasn't meant to be like this."

"You were still going to tell him. How did you think he'd react?"

Loki nods slowly, "I know. I'm selfish."

"Yes. Yes, you are." Staggering to his feet, Loki moves back to help him up as well, and Tony takes it despite himself, "But ... you told me, you can admit to it. I - don't actually know what to think about that, to be honest." Looking around the room, everything hits him again and he swallows past a tight throat, squeezing his eyes shut, "You saved my project, too, but - " He turns away, "It's still too late."

"No." Loki picks at the paper on the bed, biting his lip, "I can fix this."

Tony turns to him, "How? He destroyed everything. My suit, my statement, all my _work_. Even if I show them the project, they need the schematic or they won't believe I made it. I've lost." He clenches his hands, wiping at his face quickly in case any of the tears now building up again slip out, "Just forget it." He huffs out a short laugh, bitter, "You got what you wanted. I'm still here to stay."

He's grabbed by the wrist, and turned, "I never meant to hurt you, I swear. I - anyone else I would, but you - You're - " He pauses, distressed, "You're _you_."

"I'm me."

Loki nods, ignoring the sarcasm. "Yes."

"Look." Tony steps back, putting space between them, "I want to believe you, Loki. I do. But - House of Liars, remember." He's let go then and he slumps backward onto the bed, "I can't live as a servant for all my life. I can't live like this forever. And, for _some stupid_ reason, I can't even find it in myself to even hate you for this." Loki smiles hesitantly but all he gets is a glare, "I _so_ want to, though."

Loki looks down then, thinking or something, before suddenly clenching a fist and spinning around. The door slams after him as he leaves and the air leaves Tony's chest at the abandonment. He stares at the ceiling, in the middle of the mess that was once his future. It's another minute before it opens again though, and he snaps his head up, not expecting that, so when his arm is grabbed and used to haul him out as well, he doesn't really know how to react.

"Loki - "

"I told you. I will _fix_ this. If you want to leave, then - I cannot make you stay." Pushing him into his room, Loki yanks open his wardrobe and fishes out the robot in the midst of clothes that he must have piled to hide it, "I will fix this." He says again, handing it to him.

Tony takes it wordlessly, staring, and Loki looks pleased, expectant, before blinking and snapping his fingers, turning away and rushing out of the room. Tony follows him out dubiously, still so numb from everything and completely in doubt that Loki can help him _now_. Whether he wants to or not, it's too late, and unless he's got some magic under his sleeve or something, Tony's stuck here no matter what.

He finds Loki at Thor's computer, logging into Tony's email account, "Hey! That's - how did you - ?"

"I know you better than you think." Loki murmurs from where he sits, getting the password right on the second go, "Though I'm a little disappointed that my _name_ is not your password really." Tony can't help but smile at that, softly, looking at the back of Loki's head as he scrolls to the saved email-folder. "Here." He reprints Tony's personal statement and it's almost a little terrifying how he knows so much about what Tony does.

"The - schematic?" Tony murmurs, taking the statement, and Loki nods, "You took that as _well_?"

"I needed it. To copy your design."

Tony smirks coldly, "And then you just decided to keep it?"

Loki drops his gaze, running his tongue over his teeth, "I - really am very sorry. I didn't know what else to do. Living here, in this house, where I know I'm not wanted, where I know I am only here because it gains good _publicity_. You being here. You help."

"Because I'm lower down than you?"

"Oh for - because you _listen_." Tony looks at him, hugging the robot to his chest, "Because you care. Because - "

"I - get the point." Tony sighs, looking down, ignoring the warmth he can feel trying to combat the numbness inside him, "But Loki, you - Even if you have everything, even if it's all salvageable, I'm not going to make it. They left ages ago and the bus doesn't go that far."

And then, surprisingly, Loki grins at him.

"What?" Tony asks slowly, "What's that supposed to mean?" All he gets as an answer, though, is just another grab at his wrist and then he's being tugged down to the garage. "Loki! What are you doing?"

 

.

* * *

.

"Oh. My. God." The robot is immediately placed on the floor as soon as Tony sees Loki's biggest secret. "How - " He eagerly walks around the bike slowly, staring at it in awe. It's a dark green, big enough for two, and - and _wow_ , "This is - ! How the _hell_ did you even hide this from Odin?"

Loki runs a hand down it fondly, "I have my ways. Odin would never approve of a bike, nor of me having a license so young so, after hearing him talk about them as something forbidden, I knew that I _had_ to get one." Tony snorts, touching the handles and grinning.

Wait. "So … you do have a license then?"

”Of course.” Loki sounds almost offended at the question, "Now. Get on. If we leave now, we might still make it." Tony turns to him, his heart pounding, "I told you. I'll fix this. I'll help _you_ , for once, as you've always helped me?" Oh wow. Please be telling the truth for once, because -

Letting go of the handles, Tony rushes forward and for the first time in his life, he hugs Loki; tight and squeezing and going onto his tip-toes to wrap as much of him around that torso as he can.

Loki staggers back at first, in surprise, before gently pulling out of it with a smile. He opens his mouth and Tony expects another apology - which would be appropriate - but instead he bursts out, "Come with me to the ball."

Tony laughs, disbelieving really, "What?"

"If they pick you. If you gain an apprenticeship, and if you leave?" Loki takes a breath, looking at the robot now, "Come with me to the ball."

Tony raises an eyebrow, tilting his head up at him, and he ignores how that request makes him feel; no matter how much he wants to embrace it. Years of pining, and to suddenly know that it’s returned, it just doesn’t seem true and he doesn’t _want_ to embrace it - only to find out that it isn’t. So, in the end, he just sticks with turning it into a joke, as he always does, "Can you even _dance_ twinkle-toes?"

Loki scoffs, playing along, "Can _you_?" Everything melts at that smile and Tony smiles back at him, the tension leaking right out of his body and the hope that Odin had burst before now returning in a blast.

"Let's go."

He nods, taking the robot and putting it in a box that Loki straps tight to the back of the bike; he folds his statement and schematic, putting them in his pocket before clambering on behind Loki onto the bike. Loki takes his hands and puts them around his waist, "I should warn you, however" He then says, kick-starting his bike into thrumming under them both, "I have never actually ridden in the _snow_ before."

Tony freezes. " _What - ?!_ " They're off before Tony can fully take that in, however, and he falls against Loki’s back; holding on tight and watching as the snow falls around them both. Loki isn't very good considering, and it's actually really, _really_ terrifying to be literally clinging on as they skid over the ice and wet roads. His back is warm against Tony's chest though, and the fact that despite always being so self-centered all his life, he's admitted to his lies and is _helping_ Tony to do something that he clearly doesn't want himself, is what only makes Tony want to tighten his arms even more and rest his cheek on his shoulder blade.

They stop at the side of a road before even making it to the highway, however, and Loki gets off of his bike - quickly and less-than expertly - helping Tony when he skids over the ice; not exactly wearing expensive shoes with good grip. "Hey, wait. What are we doing _here_? Loki? We haven't got the time to - "

"We do." Loki tells him, walking down the road after locking his bike, "Odin left early to talk to his partners before the function starts and because he'd hoped that you wouldn't finish your duties in time. We have a little time, believe me, and _you_ ... " Opening the door to a shop, Loki gestures that Tony go inside, "Are in desperate need of a suit."

Tony stares. "Wow." The shop is ... huge. Bigger than any of those that are walking distance that Tony’s been to, and it's _warm_ and well-lit and _full_ of more clothes than Tony has ever seen before. _Expensive_ clothes. He almost rushes to grab a black blazer that catches his eye when he remembers - "But I don't have any money."

Loki glares at him. "Don't insult me, Tony."

Oh _yeah_. He’s loving this Guilty-Loki.

 

* * *

 

They don’t spend long looking, really, but Tony wishes they could. He’s just fingering the cloth of a silken shirt, however, when he remembers something that Odin had said in the midst of the whole 'ruin Tony's life' debacle. "Hey," He starts, gaining Loki's attention, "When - uh, when Odin was yelling at me? He accused me of stealing and giving out secrets, to the media. Or something like that." Loki frowns, looking at him properly now, "Do you - know anything about that?"

"What 'secrets'?"

"I have no idea. I mean, it wasn't _me_ that did it. I just - figured it must be you. I mean, like, it’s always you."

Loki makes an agreeing gesture but sighs, "Well if I knew any, it would be all over the news by now, yes. But I don’t. Might explain some of why he was so _angry_ at you, though."

Tony lifts a red shirt, looking at it with some intriguing want, "’Some’?"

"Well. The rest being that he is a heartless bastard." The shopkeeper comes their way at the sound of Tony's laughter, and Loki immediately directs him to show Tony the best. Tony, a little annoyed by the 'directing', chooses his own one stubbornly and ignores the shopkeeper's words about fashion and taste. Screw that, he has enough of that after walking past the models on billboards all the time, and he wants to be comfortable too.

He also really wants to feel bad for making Loki pay for this all, but at the same time, he goes crazy and adds onto the price until Loki actually looks a little scared. Good. Serves him right.

He draws the line at hats though, "Are you _really_ going to wear a _hat_?"

Tony shrugs, "If Odin sees me there, he might make a fuss or just not let them see me. He can't know it's me, so," He points at the cap, “Hat.”

"Fair point. But how is a _hat_ going to solve that problem?"

"I dunno. I just want it." Loki sighs, but pays for everything on card anyway, grimacing at the price and glaring at the smug smile Tony sends his way. The smile he hides himself, however, is what leads Tony to softening his own and he rushes to get changed in the toilets just to not make Loki wait any longer. It's hard though. He really wants to look at himself, to admire how he looks in stuff like this. He can actually see himself, years from now, in a suit and at a meeting; a smartphone in one hand and a coffee in the other.

This morning he'd been mopping up under someone else's bed. Big dreams.

"Let's go." He says to Loki when he walks out and the look that he gets as he strides past is more than enough to bring up a fresh bout of confidence.

He can do this.

 

* * *

 

He can't do this.

The tent, if he can even call it that, is _full_ of people. Rich, smart, and confident people. Every student that has a project stands at the table assigned for each of them individually and they make small talk with professors to pass the time to the judges.

Small talk. With MIT _professors_.

The look of panic on his face must show because Loki takes him aside and helps him sort his suit out after the wind had ruffled it on the way here, "If you look worried, they won't bother with you."

"I know. I'm just - I can't help it." To be honest, he's more worried about Odin seeing him. The judging is public and everyone in here will crowd around to see what the next generation can offer to the University, and maybe to the world. Obadiah Stane will give the final call but other officials will be looking as well. It's an important moment. Odin is definitely going to watch it, "Odin'll catch me. I know he will."

"Leave Odin to me." Tony looks at him, but Loki's wearing one of the hats Tony had brought before; a hat that covers his hair when it's bunched underneath it and that obscures his eyes too. It's still obviously him, but maybe that's because Tony's so used to seeing him play around with disguises. "He'll be otherwise detained when the judging takes place, trust me. Now come on, we need to get you a table."

He takes Tony by the hand, smiling at the white-silk gloves that the shopkeeper had convinced Tony to get, and drags him over to one of the professors present. Professor Banner. "Hello, sir." Banner jumps, with his back to them, but when he turns he must obviously recognize Loki too and he smiles.

"Loki. I was wondering when you would get here, your family arrived a while ago." Tony hugs the robot closer, darting his eyes around to make sure Odin can't see them. He sees Frigga at the back of the tent, discussing something with another woman, and Thor is talking to a young girl by the bowl of punch. Odin isn't even in the tent as far as he can tell.

"I have a confession to make, actually, sir." Loki continues, beside him.

Banner nods, "That the, ah, work wasn't really yours?" Tony blinks at the same time as Loki and they stare at him. Banner just continues to smile blandly, looking immensely pleased with himself, "I know your handwriting Loki, and though it seems to deviate sometimes, I know when it really is _yours_. Your latest essays and this thesis was written in much messier writing compared, so yes, I had my suspicions. I mean, you are smart Loki, but - not _that_ smart. I'm glad you're admitting it, however. I would have hated to have disqualified you in front of your family."

Loki just looks at him. " ... oh." And that's when Tony has to stifle his laughter, turning away and pressing a glove to his mouth. His snort still comes through however and Loki squeezes the hand that he still has in his grip, "Well. Um. Very well." He pushes Tony slightly forward then, "This is the _real_ genius, Professor."

Tony smiles, "Tony Burison." He introduces himself as, pulling free his hand from Loki's to shake Banner's extended one, "I was there when you told Loki what you thought of my work. So, now that you know it's mine; thank you."

"Yes, I saw your face when I spoke about it, and I was, well ... " He pauses, so Tony fills in for him:

"Suspicious?"

That earns him a smile and then Banner holds out his hand, "I will need proof, however, to make sure this isn't another of Loki's pranks. He's notorious in school, you know."

"I've heard." Loki rolls his eyes, reaching over for a can of coke and drinking half in one go, "What do I need to do to prove it to you?"

"A test of intelligence, so to speak. Come with me and I'll give one to you, and then - if you are telling me the truth - we'll see about getting you a table."

"Wait," Loki steps between them quickly, "Just one more thing Professor. My father can't know about Tony's participation in this." Banner frowns at him, "I know that that sounds bad, but trust me on this please. You'll find out he's telling the truth and after that, please - keep it a secret. Don't announce his participation and all that."

"I will have to introduce him to Mr Stane," Banner starts, obviously getting that Loki's not trying to pull his leg in this, "But - "

"That's fine." Tony interjects, "I'd love to be introduced to him, just - not really liking the idea of my name being blared out in speakers."

Banner nods slowly, giving Loki a look, "We'll discuss this more after the test, shall we."

"Sure." Tony gives Loki one last smile before following Banner out of the tent and toward the actual MIT building. His heart thumps as they approach it but he hasn't the time for looking around. Still. This is the place he's been dreaming about for years now and he can't wait to actually step foot in it as a _graduate_ and not just as a guest. Banner sits him down in an empty classroom and verbally tests him on everything Tony had written on his thesis.

He doesn't even sweat from the fear of getting it wrong, because this is fine. This is him, how his brain works. It's what he excels at and what he's actually _good_ at. Confidence surges through his veins all over again because he knows he'll pass with flying colors.

He knows he's almost there.

 

* * *

 

"I see Banner was impressed with you then." Loki murmurs in his ear when Tony sets his robot on the table that he's been assigned to.

"Obviously. I'm kinda wishing, though, that he'd actually disqualified you publicly for lying. Would have been a great punishment for you being such a mooching dick."

Loki raises an eyebrow at him, his cheeks barely even tinting red in shame, and he responds quicker than Tony would have guessed he would, "Yes, but then you would have no one to go to the Christmas Ball with."

"You mean _you_ wouldn't." Tony counters, "I'm not even supposed to go, I don't even _attend_ school remember." Their - talking? flirting? - is cut short, however, when the big man-of-the-hour himself comes to make himself known.

Loki moves aside immediately as Stane looks over the robot with only a little curiosity and turns to Tony with a smile, "Burison?" He asks and Tony nods in answer, fast enough that he's sure he'll get dizzy from it.

"That's me." He beams, flustered despite himself for meeting someone that he's admired for half his life, "Mr Stane. Obadiah Stane, I mean. Woah, mouthful. Can I shorten that? I shorten a lot of people's names, like my friends Pepper and Rhodey, their full names were either boring or too long so I nicknamed them. I could call you Obie or something or maybe - "

Loki coughs behind a hand, "Babbling."

"Or ... something." He finishes, rather lamely, but Stane just continues to smile at him, and holds out his hand for a shake.

"Pleasure to meet you. I trust you know the rules and rewards of this ceremony?"

"Memorized them."

"Well. I'll look for you in the presenting round then."

Tony nods again, dimming his smile until it's more formal and less starstruck, "Sure thing, sir."

Stane moves on then, to talk to more of the senators and Tony watches him go, his heart still thudding. Loki puts his hands on both shoulders and pushes slightly, "Breathe." He murmurs in his ear, teasing. Tony pulls away, giving him a look, before excitement gets the better of him.

"Do you even know who that _was_?" He asks, the biggest grin on his face, "That was Obadiah _Stane_. CEO of Stark Industries, the largest and leading company in - "

" - in weapons and technology, I know." Loki rolls his eyes, reciting dutifully, before suddenly growing serious and dumping the hat on his head onto Tony; pushing it down over his eyes and walking around the table quickly, "Father." Tony's entire body grows cold at that word and he keeps his back to him, praying and praying that this isn't when Loki 'reveals' this all to be a prank and tells Odin all about Tony's participation. "I was looking for you, before, I - "

"You were not in the car when we drove here, how did you get here?"

"I took a lift with a friend." Tony keeps his head low, grabs a random leaflet from a nearby table and puts it in front of his face as he walks past to the toilets; pulling the hat further down and losing himself in a crowd of senators before Odin can even glance toward him.

Loki finds him a few minutes later and takes him by the arm - dragging him into the toilets, "I thought you said you'd deal with him."

"I will. Just - not yet. I need to wait for the actual event to _start_ before I move, otherwise he may come inside halfway through and see you."

Tony frowns, looking at him, "What exactly are you planning on doing?"

"Don't worry about it. Just trust me."

"Trust you." Is he serious?

"Yes. You know what 'trust' is, don't you. Or should I get a dictionary?"

"You know what _friendship_ is, don't you? Or maybe I should carry a lie-detector when I'm around you." Tony snaps back, and Loki smirks at him: "Touche." Is his only response, before someone knocks to come into the toilet and they're forced to leave.

 

* * *

 

The first round starts just half an hour later and Tony almost spits out the punch he'd been drinking when his name is called to come forward. He cringes, looking around to see if Odin heard but he's nowhere to be seen, and neither is Thor for that matter. Frigga looks up however, frowning slightly, but then she looks away as though putting it to her imagination and continues to chat to whoever it is she's with.

Loki had left a while ago, so hopefully he's to account for Odin not being here. Still. He's shaking slightly as he walks to his table and stands ready for the judging. Each participant steps forward as he watches, describing their projects and how they came up with the ideas, how much help they received and then a demonstration of what it does for everyone to see.

There's an assortment of unoriginal ideas, really, and most are just copies of things that actually exist with the students just trying to see if _they_ could make it and then make it a little faster. But then again, the judges look impressed, so maybe that's what is expected. Tony looks down at his own robot with a swallow, biting down on his lower lip and waiting until it's his turn to present.

Stane sits before him on a table, between two other judges who scribble down on their paper. In contrast, he sits with his arms folded and his expression doesn't change at all as he watches every student fluster, boast, stumble, or grin.

One young student actually blinks back tears of embarrassment when his project refuses to work and is told to leave the competition after swearing at it angrily. Another is told to leave as well, when she reveals that she received help from her father - which is _allowed_ , just - _not_ when your father is a rocket scientist ...

Before he knows it, it's Tony's turn and he steps forward with his robot and sets it on the presenting table in the middle of the students. He's last and he knows that's bad, knows the judges are probably bored now and that they might even have an idea of who they want to keep already, but he clears his throat and scans the crowd anyway.

He finds Loki at the back, in the same hat from before that he had taken back, leaning against one of the tent's poles and at a nod from him, Tony straightens and directs his words to Stane now, "Um. Tony Burison, 18 years old." He begins, just as the others had, before looking down at his robot, "I - actually heard about this competition a little later than most people, so I only had about a fifth of the time everyone else had to make a project. Something that can be attested by Professor Banner over there, if asked." Banner raises a hand when people start to look for him and just nods his agreement, "So. I decided that, if I'm going to have limited time, I'll have to make something _memorable_ then. Something original. And - I hit on robot. Which, okay, is not very original but the way I went about it is." At this, Stane sits up a little straighter, looking at the robot with more interest that he previously has already.

Tony takes that as being encouragement and straightens himself, clearing his throat, "I planned on doing a similar design to the usual toys for kids that you see out on the stores sometimes. Not - that I go to any, or anything." That little lie causes a titter of laughter and Tony smiles but doesn't otherwise show that he's pleased with that response, "But, instead of just following a regular set of limited movements that a buyer has to cause themselves, I wanted to make my robot move by _itself_ and I did this by creating my own version of artificial intelligence - though, heavily limited obviously, I didn't have all of the materials - but the blueprints will create a much better one if I only had more time." Stane tilts his head, looking at the robot with interest. Tony ignores that in case it makes him fumble with excitement, "And I know what you're thinking, and I know that artificial intelligence is something a lot of people seem to try and fail in and it never seems to go right, but I also know that the mainframe of it is actually a little simple if you look at it the right way."

Looking up at the faces of disbelief and scoffing, Tony chews on the inside of his cheeks, swallows his own doubts about Loki and his robot and how he is only now realizing that he hasn't actually _checked_ that it works after everything that has happened. For all he knows, the real one could be in pieces on the floor of his room. He has no idea.

With bated breath, he reaches over and flicks the little switch on the back of the robot's neck. After about a second of nothing, a second that almost gives him a heart-attack, it eventually lifts it's head and looks around the room with it's lighted features. Tony smiles down at it, "I give you: Optimus Prime."

The robot raises it's arm, "Hello." It announces and the room erupts into gasps of awe as others try to get closer for a better look. Tony sucks in a breath, his heart pounding as adrenaline flooded through his veins, "I. am. Optimus. Prime." It swivels it's head around to face Stane, of all people, "Now. get. your. own. drink. you. lazy. ****."

At that, Tony blanches, " _Sorry_. That was supposed to be edited out, I swear." Stane hides a smile and it's then that the other students all crowd around for a look at his creation. Optimus Prime steps forward twice and turns it's head toward one of the senators that calls it's name out.

"Yes sir?" That causes quite a stir and when the senator asks for it to say it's name again, Optimus Prime obliges and even _salutes_ him. Tony raises his eyebrows at his own robot's bold-moves and obediently shuts him down when the judges call for silence.

There's then a moment when the students are all told to leave until the judges come to a decision. Tony bails out of there before anyone crowds him, taking Optimus Prime and quickly trying to find Loki but as soon as he turns around, he sees Odin entering the tent again; on the phone and looking severely pissed off. He hasn't seen him, but Tony ducks out of the way immediately and almost bumps into an older student that asks for his name for the announcement of winners and losers. He swallows, staring, not sure where to go or what to do for that one moment and when a hand grabs his and hauls him to one side, he almost yelps from the tension enveloping over him.

"Time to go." Loki murmurs in his ear, leading him outside and putting Optimus Prime away safely, tucking the blueprints away as well.

"But the Judges' decision - "

"No time. We have to go, or Odin'll be after both our necks."

Tony gapes at him, climbing on behind him on the bike, "Why? What the hell did you do?" Loki doesn't answer and instead kicks the bike into ignition, turning them back toward the road, and as they pass the car-park, it's painfully obvious to see what he'd done. Odin's car is a mess of graffiti, cracks, scratches, and a pile of shattered windows lie beside the punctured tyres on the ground. Tony stares, practically bug-eyed, "Shit. You went crazy."

"It was not me, personally, actually. I paid for a few other teens to do the dirty work, but I know that Odin will know it's me. He always does, even if it isn't."

"Yeah." Tony holds onto him tighter, leaning closer, "I know that feeling." Still, even though he knows Loki had saved him from Odin seeing him, he glances back at MIT forlornly and sighs. He knows that there's still a chance he could maybe let them know that it was him. He can go to Professor Banner, and they can get his name from him, but it's not the same.

Loki buys him soda on the way back, and they share a stack of doughnuts which significantly cheers him up, and they play around with Optimus Prime a bit too; subtly and hiding it from view when others come into the cafe too.

"So." Tony says after a while of silence, sucking from his straw loudly, "You feel better?"

"Me?"

"Yeah, you. I know guilt when I see it, and though it was really _weird_ seeing it on _you_ , it wasn't exactly non-gratifying either. But do you feel better now? Feel like you've made it up to me yet?"

Loki clearly knows that this is a trick question because he raises his eyebrows, " _Have_ I made it up to you?"

"Give or take a couple more months, and you'll be halfway there."

"And the ball?"

Tony pretend to suddenly acquire some semblance of table manners and hides his mouth as he messily chews a doughnut - just to avoid answering for a bit longer, "What about it?"

"You never gave me an answer."

Tony looks at him, realizes he's being serious now, "Do we have to talk about this?"

"About what?"

"Stop it. You know what."

"About the fact that I like you, you like me, I have asked you to the ball and you haven't answered yet?"

Tony makes a face, "It isn't that simple."

Loki sucks on the straw of his nearly empty soda, and the sound echoes in the cafe, "Is it not? I think it is." Another loud suck and Tony gives him a look when several people look around to stare at them, "And I also think that _you_ love to over-complicate matters, whereas _I_ ... well. I have already admitted to you that I like you enough to risk invoking your utter _hatred_ of me, just to get you to stay." Not to mention that he went around his own selfishness and went way out of his way to help Tony regaining his own dream and escape out of here.

Tony sighs, snagging another doughnut and chewing slowly, "I know. But - liking isn't always enough. Not when I know what you can be like as well, and how you can always li - "

"Whenever I have been cruel to you, it is only because my father or brother were listening and I had to keep up the pretense. That is the sincere truth, I promise." Loki sets his soda down when Tony doesn't say anything in return, "You have not exactly been innocent yourself, have you."

"I never intentionally planned on ruining someone's life."

Loki riles, "It was never meant to - !"

"I know," Tony puts a finger to his lips, smiling at the look of half-surprise and half-anger that Loki sends him at that, "I know." He then stands, moving back, and straightening everything out, "But we need to get back, so we'll continue this conversation later. Preferably when I'm an apprentice at Stark Industries, and _not_ just cleaning your room again."

Loki sighs but stands as well, throwing his soda into the trash as they pass and smiling when a few girls hanging around stare at him on his bike, before grunting at Tony's elbow in his ribs that informs him he has to move up a little more for him to fit on as well.

Tony blows a kiss to the girls afterward, grinning when Loki kicks them off before either of them can see the reaction that that gains.

The wind whips his hair back as they ride and Tony looks up at the sky slowly - wishing, praying even, that he has won that competition.

 

* * *

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, _why_ did this take forever again? I'm deeply sorry everyone! :(

* * *

.

They make it home. _Just_ in time, literally.

Tony just manages to get out of the suit and into his usual clothes before he hears the front door open too and the sound of a pretty intense argument immediately filling the silence of the house. Loki had gone out into the town, only to make it look like he _hadn't_ just dropped Tony off here like this, so without him to come down when Odin bellows for him, Tony's called on to answer for his silence.

"Loki hasn't been back yet, sir." He tells him, the washing basket at his hip in the pretense that he'd just been gathering clothes to wash, and not hiding in his room while hearing Odin shout at both his wife and son in the hallway; trying to find out what had happened to his car, "I can call him, if you want?"

"No. I want him home _now_ and I don't want him warned of my anger before he is."

Tony raises an eyebrow, innocence plastered all over his face, and he lifts one of Thor's shirts from the bannister, draping it on top of the rest of them in the basket, "Has he done something?"

"No." Frigga cuts in, sounding angrier than Tony's ever really heard her, "Odin is _assuming_ that he has, but he will not do _anything_ to Loki without proof." Well. Nice to know that _Loki_ has someone in his corner. Maybe that's why Frigga's always been a little 'quiet' when it comes to Tony, not wanting to discredit her arguments for her _actual_ son instead. Well. Adopted son - but whatever. "I will not have any more arguments in this house."

 _You're having one now_ , Tony points, but he keeps it back anyway and just moves past them all to deal with everything else instead. Thanking everything he has that he'd finished most of his duties before Odin had left as well, so it doesn't look too suspicious with the house actually tidy anyway. And with Odin's car destroyed, Loki's also provided the perfect distraction, so he's not actually questioning him about what had happened before.

"Tony." He turns when Frigga calls him, freezing at the warning in her tone, "Leave those. You are free to spend the day as you wish." He blinks, looking at Odin for confirmation, but she waves a hand angrily, "Odin may _pay_ your wages, but I will have some order here too. You may go, do as you please, you will still be paid I promise. I just want the house empty right now."

Tony only blinks again. And again.

"... _paid_?"

Frigga isn't listening anymore though, she's now telling Thor to leave the house as well, obviously wanting to have a private conversation with Odin. But Tony still hasn't moved, still stuck on that one word. Paid. He's _never_ been paid, he's never even been offered it, Odin's always told him that he should be _grateful_ to have a roof over his head after how his parents had abandoned him. Why would he need to lie to Frigga about that? Why say he's being paid?

He doesn't get it, _why_ would he -

He starts when he hears a door shut, Thor now gone, and he turns to go and find his coat as well, to make his way to the town instead of anywhere else.

He needs to talk to Pepper.

He almost skids in his hurry, but when he gets there her shop's shut anyway. A notice saying something about a robbery. He panics for a bit then, wondering if she's okay, but Rhodey would have told him if something _really_ awful had gone down. He sighs, sitting on the bench after clearing it from snow, shivering and trying to think.

"I suppose he's angry then?" He doesn't even look up, only scooting aside to let Loki sit beside to him, "I saw Thor walking away as well. Perhaps _this_ is the day that I should run away."

"Frigga's angrier than he is, and said that he shouldn't blame you without proof." Tony murmurs.

"Hm."

"She'd also said something about me being _paid_. Like she - actually genuinely _thought_ it." Looking at him now, frowning, Loki opens his mouth to ask what he's talking about but Tony continues, muttering more to himself now as he thinks, "Why would Odin tell her that I'm being paid? It makes no sense."

"Well, it _would_ seem awful to treat you the way he does without making it seem like you're here willingly."

"But I _am_ here willingly." He snaps his head up now, "I want to leave, _yeah_ , of course I do but after all he's said about gratitude and so on, I _get_ it. I _am_ grateful. I could have done without you all being so horrible, but I'm glad that I wasn't homeless. Or, you know, in an Orphanage." His teeth worry over his bottom lip, "So why didn't he just tell Frigga that as well? That he took me in after Bor and stuff. Why tell her that he's _paying_ me, I mean it makes no _sense._ Unless." He stops, glancing at Loki, speaking with thinking and just saying the first idea that comes to mind, "Unless he's keeping something from me? From - from _all_ of us? He - "

Loki grinds his teeth together, his jaw rotating as he thinks, "Well, I wouldn't put that past him. He _has_ done it before, after all." How did they get here? This conversation. It feels like it's all going too fast and he can't even _think_ straight. 

Tony shares a look with him, the memory of that box that they'd found in the attic the second thing that he thinks of, and before they even discuss what they're going to do, they're up and out of their seats in a second.

"Come on."

**_~_ **

 

The town library's citizens shelf is closed to _all_ members unless they've formally requested for something months before or are a part of the police force. Luckily, Tony has _Loki_ with him.

They sneak in round the back together, and Tony runs through the hallway as silently as he can, looking for his birth year. Or what _should_ be his birth year, if he's calculated it all correctly. Odin had once mentioned that his father had said Tony that had been only five when he'd been taken in. So that would put it at 1983, roundabouts. 

His fingers skim over the books until he finds the right one and he's opened it and has it over his lap before Loki even catches up. He taps his finger on it's way down the pages, scanning through each of the 12 months just to be sure, but he can't even see an Anthony anywhere. Well. There is  _one_ but Rhodey's mentioned him a couple of times, from school, so he's out from the start. 

"I'm not here."

"Try the date you were found by my grandfather."

They search for the other book then, going down the line by five years, but still. Nothing.

"I'm not here." He concludes, shutting the book slowly and looking up at Loki from where he's kneeling. He can feel how wide his eyes are, the shock of what he's just said coming through now, "Loki, I'm not _in_ here."

"You - " Loki pauses himself, thinking, "Well, perhaps you weren't _born_ here then."

"Then where _was_ I born? Where did I _come_ from? Odin told me that my parents lived here before and that they'd abandoned me by the road. If I wasn't born here, then my name should _still_ be in the books if my family was here so how is it _not_ , what the hell _is_ all this and why - " He stops, putting a hand to his face and feeling it grow warm with how flustered and angry he is.

He feels sick. He feels sick with the idea that his past could be a lie, and that all it took for him to even _realise_ was just one word.

_Paid._

.

* * *

.

Odin is in his office when he gets back.

Still fuming, obviously, and he makes it clearly obvious when he snaps as soon as Tony enters the room, "Get out. You have been relieved for the day so you've no business in here. _Leave._ " 

Tony walks inside anyway, shutting the door after him, "No." Odin looks up from what he'd been reading. "I don't think so. _Sir_."

"I think that you need to remember who you are talking to you." He doesn't move from where he's standing, not even when Odin stares him down like that.

"No." He says again, his anger rising until it's almost overwhelming, "Because I _do_ know. I'm talking to a _Monster_ and a _liar_. And I'm not leaving. Not yet. Not until I'm _paid_." At that, Odin smiles a little dryly, glancing down, "Now let's see. Usual servants with these kind of duties would get, what, $6 an hour? So let's add that over the years shall we?" Doing the math in his head, Tony folds his arms across his chest and glares, "$ _525,948.60._ Cough up." Odin opens his mouth to speak but - "Oh actually wait. Let's have a bonus for all the fucking insults and abuse too. So instead of $6 an hour, let's make it _eight_. $ ** _701,264.80_.** " He's panting by the time he's done, so angry he almost can't speak, " _That's_ what I should have."

"You are not a servant, Anthony," Odin sounds amused, "You are legally a part of this family, and you earn your keep through _work_. That is all."

"No, but I'm not am I. Part of this family. I'm not in _any_ of the record books, any of the photos with anyone apart from Bor, the _police-officers_ who found me when I ran away were also apparently _paid_ to not say anything." He stares at him in disbelief, told this by Loki only a few moments ago who  _swears_ that he thought Tony had known, "I mean, why _is_ that? What could you possibly be _hiding_ from me?" He scoffs, looking around the room instead of the monster sitting before him, "From everyone? You made me into your _slave_."

"That is not true."

"Yes it _is!_ I'm _not_ legally part of this family. _Bor_ took me in but where's the paperwork, where's the _proof_? You've never shown it to me, never told me _anything_. _Who am I_?"

"You are _no one_." Odin snarls at him, "And you will stop this _now_."

"Or _what_?" He snaps back, "You'll lock me in the basement? Send me out freezing into the middle of the night. Shove me into the tiniest room in the house? Revoke my eating privileges. Work me to the _bone_? You've done it all." He clenches his hands, "And I _won't_ take it anymore." He raises his eyebrows bitterly, his disgust hopefully showing on his face, "I don't owe you _anything_."

"Then _leave_."

"Oh I will." Tony snorts, "I entered the competition at MIT by the way, _without_ you even knowing, and I _will_ win it. I _will_ get out of here and then I'm going to tell the _world_ about you." He looks at the papers on his desk, "Starting with whatever I find out on what you were so _afraid_ that I'd say in the _first_ place."

With that he whirls around, ignoring Odin's call for him to _get back there_ , and he practically runs to his bedroom, intent on packing everything and anything that he has and telling Frigga all the lies first of all. Loki'd said that he'll take him wherever he wants to go with his bike, but he already knows where to go. Rhodey'll welcome him in, he'll tell him everything, and then -

He spins around to see Odin standing by his door, fuming in a way that used to terrify Tony. "Get the hell away from me." He doesn't. "Or else I'll scream loud enough for someone nearby to - "

"My house is one of the most isolated here, you know that. We barely ever receive regular visitors." Tony just shrugs at him, turning back to pull all of the ripped bits of paper into his torn-bag, trying to get everything together despite how destroyed it all is. He folds the suit that Loki had bought him, the hat, the gloves, his robot. He's leaving. He is. He should have done this years ago, if he hadn't been so pathetic and _guilty_ and scared.  But he's older now. He knows the truth now.

And he's _going_. 

"My business will tumble if you reveal any secrets." He doesn't technically _know_ any but hey, Odin's worried and that's all he's ever wanted.

"Should've thought about that before you decided to use me." He shoves the broken cover of his textbooks into the bag as well, lifting it now, "Now move."

"Don't make me strike you again."

"I'll fucking _punch_ you if you do. I'm not going to take it anymore, remember." He walks forward, _"_ And relax, until I'm in MIT, I won't - "

"That university will never accept you. Especially as the competition went to a winner that was _present_ at the announcements." Tony blinks sharply, "You have nowhere to go nor be, but here. Nowhere that will _accept_ you."

Ignoring how he feels about that particular statement, Tony just shakes his head, "I'm still going."

Odin sighs, looking down at him, "Very well. I never truly wished to do this." Tony glares at him, "But you see too much, know too much, and as angry as you are now I truly believe that you _will_ try your hardest to destroy this family."

"To destroy _you_ , you bastard. I never - " Odin's hand suddenly grips his shoulder, pushing him back, and the door's shut in his face before he can even react. There's the sound of a key turning, the full washing basket scraping over the floor as it's slid in front, and then footsteps leading away.

No.

"No! No, open the door! Odin!" He pounds his hands over the wood, spinning around to look at the window, but it's too small for him to climb out of, even if he _does_ break it. Frigga's car isn't there so she must have left in her anger, Thor's still gone. Loki's waiting for him outside, he doesn't -

"Jarvis!" He screams as he continues to kick the door, his toes aching but he doesn't stop. " _Jarvis!"_ No one hears him.

But what will this achieve anyway? When Frigga comes back, Tony'll only scream for her some more. Unless. Unless Odin lies again. Tells her something else. Or maybe the room's soundproof, he's never tested it. Maybe Odin's only keeping him in here until he can make all of his lies _real_.

No. No, he _can't_ let him do that, he won't!

"Get me _**out** of here!_ " He sobs now, so _angrily_. God, he's so _stupid_. Why did he tell him everything, why had he let his fucking satisfaction get the better of him, " _Please! **Loki**!"_

He slides down the door, a few minutes later, exhausted now. His head thumps against it and he shuts his eyes, fisting his hands into them just to _hurt_. "Open the door."

He doesn't know how long he stays like that, hating himself. Hating Odin. He thinks about the competition, about the look in Odin's eyes that makes him think that he really _had_ lost it, and he holds himself with a sigh.

This is the second time that he's been reduced to tears in only _one_ day.

.

* * *

.

"Tony?" The door moves behind him but he ignores it, his head drooped from where he's sitting. He must have fallen asleep at one point. Is Frigga not back yet? " _Tony_. Tony, move." He blinks now, slowly becoming alert, and he shuffles out of the way to let Loki open the door.

"Wha - ?"

"What on Earth did you _say_ to him? He told me that you'd run from the house, and a number of other things as well, and I couldn't hear you when I tried the door so I thought." He stops, looking down at him. Tony rubs at his arms, standing with a groan when his legs shake. "Have you been in here all this time?"

"He locked me in." He sounds hoarse, even to himself, and he wipes at his face bitterly, sitting over the edge of his bed, "I said that I would tell the world what a monster he is."

"Would?" Loki sits beside him, frowning, "You still _can,_ don't get all weak now. And you will." He then adds, dramatically, "I even give you permission to spread the truth about my parentage." Tony snorts, softly, but doesn't say much else at all. Loki notices. "What is it?"

"I didn't get in." He murmurs, more to himself really, but he knows that Loki heard. "Odin. He - he said that someone _else_ won. That we missed the announcements, and I - I didn't get the apprenticeship. I _lost_."

For a long while, neither of them speak.

"That's impossible. Neither of them had _anything_ as good as - "

"Well obviously it wasn't as _good_ as I thought!" He stands with a sigh, running a hand through his hair, before grabbing his bag, "You know what. Whatever. I'm still leaving. Maybe I can pitch my robot next year or something, or - "

" _Or_." Loki joins him, taking the bag from him, "We find out whether or not Odin is telling another of his lies." Tony gives him a look, "Why wouldn't he? He's lied over everything else."

"Yeah, but traveling to MIT at this time isn't exactly going to - " Loki fishes in his pocket and holds out his phone, slapping it into Tony's hand. "... right." He sits down, annoyed all over again at his stupidity, scrolling through the internet to find the number before dialing. Jesus, his heart _pounds_ as he does it too and he remembers how late it really is. What if they get pissed? "Wait." He throws the phone to Loki, "You do it." It's thrown back and before either of them can react, the machine answers it, telling them to leave a message after the beep. "Uh."

" _Speak_." Loki hisses.

"Hi." He lifts the phone to his ear, swallowing, "My name's Tony Burison, I attended the competition today? I, um, I didn't actually get a chance to stay and see the results, so I was just wondering how it went? Thanks." He shuts it off, letting out a breath. "Guess I'm staying 'til morning then. Unless, you don't mind coming to Rhodey's tomorrow to let me know what they say?" Loki only looks at him. "Fine. I'll stay. Just - distract Odin tomorrow morning so I can still sneak out. " Loki only slides past him, putting the bag over the floor and dusting the bed from any last remaining bits of paper. He then pulls the blanket down and slides under it, toeing his shoes off, "Er. What are you doing?"

"Getting some sleep." Tony lets that fly over his head, focusing more on the fact that Loki's in his  _bed_. "Well, with me here, Odin cannot lock you away again, can he?" He smiles, "My absence from school will be noticed." Huh. Tony grins down at him before immediately shutting the door and curling up next to him, not quite touching, because _hello_ , they're not dating, but close enough to show his gratitude. And, maybe get a few touches in too. Accidental, of course.

A hand slides down his back as he settles, getting slower and softer until -

"Don't." Tony laughs into the pillows, moving his hand away and rolling over, "I won't be in the mood to thank you, if you do that." Loki only raises an eyebrow at him, "And I want to. Thank you I mean. I owe you a lot, Loki."

A strand of his hair is brushed aside from his forehead, just as Loki had before, a few days ago, "You don't owe anyone _anything_." He murmurs back, and before too long, they're both asleep again. Curled up and safe, Tony no longer as numb as he'd been before.

 

**_~_ **

 

Tony wakes with a start, to the sound of the doorbell. He automatically stirs to go and get it, before remembering yesterday abruptly and slumping back down with a groan. He then realizes that he's laying over Loki's chest. _Loki_ 's chest.

Oh God.

He blinks, listening out as the door's opened by Jarvis instead. "Loki?" He doesn't move, but then again, he'd barely even whispered. "Loki." He shakes his shoulders now, sitting up as well.

"... _what_?"

"You have to get up. Now. It's _morning_." Loki only rolls over, "Loki!" He shakes him again, especially when footsteps start to drift near his door. If Odin catches them like this, he may as well kiss his life goodbye. "Get _up_." He shoves him now, bodily, before grimacing when it's a little too hard and he actually pushes him off of the bed entirely.

"What - ?" Loki snaps his head up, glaring at him, until he sees the light shining through the window, "Oh."

"Yeah. _Oh_. Now get out before anyone catches you." He then glances down - just the _once_ \- as Loki stretches, wanting to catch a glimpse of everything, though it's all clothed, before he loses the opportunity. Unfortunately, Loki follows his gaze, raising an eyebrow. He clears his throat, gesturing in his direction, "And. Take care of that too, will you, it's distracting."

Loki smiles then, using the mattress to help him stand up again, "I could say the same."

Tony only covers his with the blanket, reminding him that: "It's a _morning_." He shuffles back then, yawning, "Now get out of here quickly, and - " There's a knock at the door. Loki freezes, still half out of it and only putting his shoes on.

"Tony?" Oh thank God. It's only Jarvis. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah." He calls out, a little shakily in his relief, but when the doorknob turns, he panics, "No, don't come in! I'm - uh. I'm Naked." The knob stills and there's a pause where Jarvis probably tries to react to that.

"Um. Alright then Tony. But there is a man here to see you at the door. A ... Mr Obadiah Stane?" What? Tony suddenly grows cold all over, turning to stare at Loki, "Mr Burison is with him at the moment." That coldness increases about a million times, turning him to ice.

Oh _shit_.

Loki throws his shoes at him but he leaves them behind anyway, running his hands through his hair and grabbing a strepsil from his bag to deal with his morning breath, before racing outside quickly. Jarvis steps back to let him past, staring after him in surprise, before raising his eyebrows when Loki then hobbles out afterward, hopping to put his on his second shoe as he goes.

Tony gets to the door just as Odin's closing it, with Stane murmuring a, "Sorry to have bothered you, Mr Burison."

"Wait!" They both pause, Odin turning to look at him with a glare, but Stane still sees him through the crack and steps back inside, "I'm here. I was just asleep, but I'm here." He glances at Jarvis when he enters the room, "I mean, it is _me_ that you wanted to see, right?"

" _Tony_ , my boy!" Stane smiles at him, coming further inside now, "I was told you didn't live here." The jab at Odin doesn't go unnoticed.

"I merely said that a boy by the name of Tony _Stark_ did not live here."

Stane only continues to smile, "Well, I can see why you'd think that." He looks over Tony now, "You introduced yourself as _Burison_ , probably not to make a scene I suppose, but I almost didn't make the connection because of it." Loki limps into the room, stamping his foot down so it slides into his shoe properly, and staring between them all as he does.

Tony blinks, "What - connection? I'm not - " He looks at the files in Stane's hands, something he hadn't noticed before. He frowns, confused, "I thought you were here because of the competition."

"Oh you passed _that_ with flying colors, don't worry." He did? But what about the - "And of _course_ you did!" He pokes a finger over Tony's forehead, grinning at the dazed look that must be in his eyes, "Howard's _brain's_ in you, I can practically see it." He puts an arm around Tony's shoulders, pulling him in, "The world's going to want to know _so_ much about where you've been all this time. We'll hold a press conference obviously, welcoming back the prodigal son and so on and - "

"Wait, wait." Tony pushes back, putting his hands up, "What are you even _talking_ about? Who's _Howard?_ " Stane frowns, looking at him. "I'm not - I don't get - "

"Howard Stark." Odin answers for him, bitterly low - shutting the front door now and looking almost drained with defeat, "Is your _father_." Tony swallows, staring over at him in pure shock.

" _What_ _?_ " His - "But. No, that - that's completely impossible, Tony Stark _died_ in some accident years ago, he isn't - I mean, he  _can't_ be - I'm. I'm just  _me_."

Stane's smile has completely gone now, "You really don't know do you?" He sighs, scratching at the top of his head, "Well, I didn't exactly plan this." He spreads his hands, "Look, Tony, there's plenty of ways to prove it to you if that's what you're after, but I'm actually here to take you away with me. I'll leave a few days of course but - "

"Take me _away_? Where?"

"To Stark Industries! You'll be able to take over in a few years and once we find the will, we'll know what to do with you." Tony stares up at him, breathing heavily and fast, almost hyperventilating and he doesn't even know what to say. He should be glad, he should be happy, feel _elevated_ , but he just feels numb. If this is true, if this is who he is, then he's been living the exactly _opposite_ to how he should be.

And it means his parents are dead. Means they were in an accident and _didn't_ abandon him. He's been lied to all his life. Everything he's ever known about himself, about his past, _everything_. It's a lie.

He doesn't even know who he is.

Stane jerks back when he runs, spinning on his feet and racing upstairs, bounding down the hallway until he finds the stairs to the attic. He huddles up there then, holding himself, shaking with an emotion that he can't really identify.

_Who am I? Where did I come from?_

"Knock knock?"

"Go away."

Loki opens the hatch anyway, climbing up to join him, "Loki, please. Just go." He doesn't typically, but he doesn't speak either, which does makes it a little better. They sit in silence for a while and he vaguely wonders what's going on downstairs. He hopes Stane's ripping into Odin. He hopes Odin gets _arrested_. That sort of humiliation should be enough to mark a man like him forever. "Do you think it's true?"

Loki answers too quickly to have not been thinking about it already, "You _do_ resemble Howard Stark. If a little. And I've only ever seen pictures from the internet, so I don't really know."

"But do you _think_ it's true?" He twists around, facing him now, pressing his lips together. Loki rolls his tongue over his front teeth.

"Well. We know that you weren't born here. You have no parents. Your surname is _my_ family's not yours, and Odin agreed with it all as well. So yes, I _do_ believe it's true." Tony sags, "Isn't this a good thing?"

"I don't know. Maybe? It just - it feels too good to be true. I don't know what to think. Someone's life can't just _change_ like this in one day, can it?"

"This sort of thing happens _every_ day."

"But I'm someone _else_! A whole different person. How can this be real?" Loki just takes him by the hand instead of answering, pulling him to his feet.

"Let's see if it's true, first. Then panic." Tony lets himself be moved, rubbing at his arm with his other hand and hesitating, "Come on. It cannot be any worse than how _I_ learnt of my parents."

"Oh." Tony starts, biting his lip. He grimaces, making a face, "Sorry?" But Loki only smiles down at him softly. He takes a deep breath. "Okay. Let's go." 

_**~** _

 

Frigga doesn't come back.

While they wait for the doctor's to confirm Tony's blood sample, Loki gets a text from Thor saying that they've been staying in one of their other apartments instead, nearer the city. Frigga had left after the argument with Odin, especially when he had confirmed a few of her suspicions with his anger, and had apparently spent all night convincing Stane that Tony is the boy he's looking for.

The missing Stark.

He's really going to need to find her and thank her for that, because he doesn't think he's ever been more hopeful than when the doctor confirmed what they all thought was true, and told him that he's Tony Stark.

 _The_ Tony Stark.

Maybe someone's life _can_ change so quickly and so suddenly then, but it had all happened to fast that he doesn't even know how to react yet. In the hours they'd used for the testing, though, Stane had explained a number of things to him and had even had a will to show him. Now that he'd been found out, Odin had given it all up.

After all this time.

The adoption papers. Howard's will. _Everything_. This is his future, right here, in his hands. He doesn't even know what to say or do, so he only continues to smile at Loki, his hand still in his - not having left it since they'd arrived here - and he hands Stane's driver his still-ripped bag when they start to leave again. "I can buy you a new one, if you want Tony." Stane offers with a grin.

"That'll be _great_ , thanks. Oh and don't forget, we need to pick up Jarvis from the mansion. He'll be jobless when Frigga finishes ratting on Odin and he doesn't deserve that. I want him to be with me, in my - my _new_ home." God he hasn't stopped smiling. Stane just gives him the thumbs up in answer and takes his seat.

Wow. All his life he's been hoping for a day like this and now it's here, he doesn't know what to think. Turning to face Loki then, he practically buzzes with excitement, "So. What to come with? To see the Industry and stuff?"

Loki smiles, "And how would I get back?" He asks, raising an eyebrow.

Tony slides closer, lowering his eyes, "You could, I don't know ... stay with me? Live there as well. Start over." Loki glances through the window at Stane, "Oh forget him, I'm Tony _Stark_ now. I can do what I want." They laugh together.

"I want to." Loki tells him, "I do." He shrugs slowly, showing his regret, "And I _will_. One day. When I've graduated." Tony nods slowly, giving him a quick hug and practically squeezing the life out of him with how tight he holds on, "Keep a job open for me."

"Oh, I will. You can be my personal assistant or something." Loki snorts, making a face, "Okay, maybe not. I'll keep something _interesting_ open."

" _Ver_ _y_ interesting." Loki corrects, leaning closer.

"Of course. Wouldn't want to get you bored."

"How _could_ I with you only a - " The car's horn _beeps_ behind them, making them both jump back. Loki huffs out a laugh, "You should go."

Tony nods, a little subdued now that he's saying goodbye, but it's only for a few more years, "Yeah." Sliding his left foot back, he pauses, "I'll miss you, you know. Like, a _lot_." Loki only nods back as well, his lips pulled down slightly now and his smile completely gone. He climbs onto his bike when Tony's sitting in the car, and the last time that he sees him for the last three years, he catches the tears in his eyes; surprised despite how he now knows about Loki's feelings for him, and he holds that memory close. For all those three years.

.

The next day, the headlines read all about the recover of Anthony Edward Stark, and the arrest of Odin Burison. Apparently, other than child abuse and child labor, he'd also had a lot of shady deals to keep anyone from finding out; especially about Loki's father as well. _That_ had been the secrets that he'd so desperately wanted to keep. Bet he hadn't expected his wife to be the one blabbing.

Frigga continues to volunteer and even takes over his business as well, bringing it up out of the shadows and pulling Thor in to succeed it. She never stops apologizing to Tony for being so naive, and she's his first business partner when he officially takes over.

Loki gains a scholarship, attending a University that's around 500 miles near to MIT, as he _constantly_ reminds Tony through texts while he's there, and he never lets up over the fact that Tony graduates in only _nine_ months.

"How? How is that possible?" Tony just cheerfully reminds him that he's apparently a genius.

 

**_~_ **

* * *

 

**_~_ **

 

 **Epilogue.** **Four years later.**

.

"You know that you have a three o'clock that'll be here any _second_ , Tony, you need to actually _be_ at the office?"

Tony smiles, pulling at the mainframe until he can reach around it a lot easier, "I'll be right there Pep, I'm just finishing up."

"You know what? Forget it. I'll rebook it."

"Now _that's_ a great idea! See, that's why I need you around." She sighs, hanging up and he laughs to himself, ignoring JARVIS when he asks if he'd like to call her back or not. He'd built him in honor of his old servant, and _friend_ , though he hadn't meant to make the AI version quite so sarcastic it still warms his heart to hear his voice.

The doors open behind him but he doesn't turn around. Why bother, he knows who it is. "If you've not brought coffee, you're not welcome here."

"Of _course_ I brought coffee." He spins around in his seat, smiling up at Loki, "Who do think I am?" The cups are placed next to him and Loki looks over the mess of his workshop, "Another project?"

" _Ex-_ project actually. Obie told me to cut it and ... well. It kinda _was_ a waste of time anyway." Loki looks at him. "What? I can always build something _better_."

" _Or,_ " Loki murmurs, pulling him closer, "You could spend more time with me."

"Ugh, and listen to you go on and on, complaining about Thor and his new girlfriend? No thanks." He's still pulled closer and Loki ignores whatever he'd just said and bends to kiss him, hard. Tony reciprocates immediately, curling his body in and cupping his hands around Loki's face, keeping him there as they moan between their parted lips. "Or we could just do _that_ some more?"

Loki smiles, "Good idea. But before we do, I need to say it. Just one more time." He takes a breath. "Drop Stane." Tony rolls his eyes with a groan, giving him a look. Not this again. "I don't trust him. And believe me, a _liar_ recognizes others."

"Look, Loki." Tony kisses him again, "Believe _me_ when I say this, Obie's harmless. He's been like a father to me all this time now, he wouldn't do anything _bad_."

Loki only makes a face, kissing him back, "I still say it."

"Well, suit yourself. You just hate him because he hates you." His shirt is pulled off, "I should warn you though - I've got a rescheduled meeting at 5 and a - "

"Skip it."

In the end, they really only tell JARVIS to just make up some sort of excuse for the rest of the day, and spend their time in bed. Catching up on how much they'd missed each other for the three years that they'd had in between.

And a few months later, Tony heads to Afghanistan.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About the ending: Sorry it's so cruel lol but I wanted to leave it as that ;) Tony's got his happy ending so far, and I'd hoped to leave the rest to your imaginations ;))
> 
> \--
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this anyhow darlings!! Hope the last chapter isn't a disappointment after all this time D:


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